The Shadow Rider
by IronManSaidPinata
Summary: Hiccup runs away after the Final Test to the Eastern reaches of the World Atlas and discovers a civilization of dragon riders. 10 years later, a crisis in the Barbaric Archipelago demands that a certain duo return to save those once called family. How will the Vikings react to their savior? And if they find out his identity, how will they react to how he's changed? (T for reasons)
1. Glossary of Terms

Summary:

After the final test, Hiccup ran away, an outcast of Berk and never intending to return. Journeying to the far Eastern reaches of a world atlas he comes across in his travels, he stumbles upon a land occupied by others who have adopted his ideals and befriend and ride dragons rather than killing them. But when a new threat rises up in the Barbaric Archipelago, demanding the Riders' attention, he must make a decision to help his old tribe or leave it to perish.

 **~Glossary of Terms~**

 **Draconia** : City located where East Asia would be, since How to Train Your Dragon is fictional, I have taken some liberties of making the Earth it creates somewhat different (i.e. some places will be there, but not others). A high-tech city for the time period, but not by a great deal. They have no electric technology as of yet. Sometimes referred to as "the White City" or "the Great City." Basically a very large island.

 **Dragon Riders** : In general, they are a large group of people, who qualify as a minority in the long run, who have adopted the idea that dragons are not enemies. Peaceful dragon riders, or citizens of Draconia, not only use dragons in day to day chores (fishing, hunting, building, forgework, etc.), they hold competitions to see how well each rider/dragon team works together. All friendly, games like dragon racing (HTTYD 2) are held often, along with stunt shows and actual races.

 **Dragons** : Flying beasts ranging from the size of housecats to behemoths as big as mountains, some dragons will team up with a human partner, bonding with them for life. Those who are brave often join the Dragon Riders or the Dragon Rider Corps (see below) and live relatively peaceful lives smattered with small times of violence. Those who join the core will see more battle and fighting than others, as they and their riders complete special missions.

 **Dragon Rider Corps** : Nicknamed "the Swarm," these are the riders trained to fight off Titan Wings and other threats. They are taught to wield weapons of most kinds, and must possess an ability to think on their feet. Core riders are easily distinguished by the weapons they carry, often bows and arrows, but occasionally one will have a sword, spear, or double axe. Most weapons are made entirely of metal (Gronkle iron) and have cut out sections (think: Elven weapons from the Hobbit movies i.e Thranduil's sword)

 **Draconian Black Guard** : Literally the best of the best, only second to the Draconian Royalty. The best dragon and human teams who serve the Imperial family (i.e. the Emperor, the Empress, and their child, the princess). Trained in hundreds of martial arts and fighting techniques, members of this elite task force can take up nearly any weapon (if they are an apprentice), adapt, and fight. Traditionally, Black Guard members defend the city and the dragon nests there with their lives, however, certain members trusted by the Imperial family can be sent out on the most difficult, delicate, or dangerous assignments in order to ensure completion. Top ranking Guard members serve as spies, Crown's assassins, or as the Royal Guard.

 **Draconian Royal Family** : Descendants of the first dragon riders, they have known dragons since early childhood. They are highly skilled dragon riders, the only ones close to or on their level being the Black Guards. Current ruling family: Emperor Reseph Kasai, Empress Tai-len Kasai, and Princess Maeri Kasai.

 **A/N: In case some of you didn't notice a difference, I altered some of the descriptions to be a little more, well, descriptive :) They weren't cutting it for me, so I had some stuff to fix. ANyway, if you thought you could skip this, I suggest you go back and read this before you read chapter 12. Slightly important. And, if you have read it but it's been a while, you might go back and read it again, just to refresh your memory. I can't tell if I'm getting into full swing or if I'm starting to fall out of my seat at this point...**


	2. Prologue - This Isn't a Goodbye

**A/N: Yeah, I hope you guys are happy. These two chapters are the ones I have been debating in posting for the last few weeks. It's also another reason why I haven't updated any other story that I should be working on ;T_T**

 ***** ** _sweats nervously*_**

 ** _...please don't shoot me guys..._**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys like this. Again, I have no beta so I have no idea if this flows well at all.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the** ** _How to Train Your Dragon_** **franchise, this is purely for fun. I only own the OCs who will appear in this fic.**

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 **Prologue - This Isn't a Goodbye, it's a Goshdarn Dramatic Exit**

Hiccup watched his father's back as it disappeared below the steps of the Great Hall, his voice bellowing orders to prepare the Berkian fleet for departure. The young boy wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball on the stone floor and wait until Gobber or some other less amiable Viking came to collect him. After what his father had said to him, wouldn't anyone?

But that wasn't an option.

Going by the look on his father's face just before their knock down drag-out heavily one-sided verbal exchange, Hiccup knew his father had an idea. And that idea revolved around Toothless, he just knew it.

 _Only a dragon can find the island._

So, he balled his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth together, steeling himself and trying to come up with a decent plan. At this point, everything decent had long since been thrown out the window. He would need to be sneaky. Sneakier than he had been in the last few weeks while training and befriending his dragon. His best friend.

But he had long since figured out that he was fast and his smaller size was an advantage he had been grateful for in recent times. It would be to his benefit again now.

Feeling more determined than he ever had before, he got to his feet and dusted off his grassy green tunic and fur vest. He inhaled deeply and straightened his back and shoulders, head held high, before striding towards the huge rune-covered double doors.

It took most of his strength to open one side and slip out before he skittered down the steps his father had just recently vacated. Looking to his left, he could see his father - the mighty Stoick the Vast - in something akin to a huddle with his war council.

 _His ex-father_.

He ground his teeth together when he thought of the words spoken.

 _You're not a viking...you're not my son._

Those words might have cut deeper if they had been closer, if he had been one of the other kids like Snotlout, but they weren't and so they didn't. He found himself, though shocked at the fact that the words themselves had been uttered and he was now all but disowned and banished, numb. He didn't feel much other than that.

He felt cold.

But he wasn't afraid.

Not for himself, at least.

At the moment, he was more worried about his friend. Toothless was being held in the dragon training arena, waiting for whatever was in store, be it freedom or death. Or something in between.

He needed to move quickly if he was going to get everything that needed to be done out of the way. On top of breaking his dragon out, he needed to pack clothing and provisions for a journey. It was miles in every direction. The storehouse and the arena were in two different directions, and the Chief's house was in the middle. Not to mention there were things in the forge he needed.

Unsure of what he should do, he lingered at the steps for a moment, becoming privy to what the loud war council was planning.

"-we don't have a harness that'll fit the Night Fury, Stoick. We can't leave right away."

Gobber. Stoick's best friend and confidant. Hiccup's mentor and only human friend.

"How long would it take to make a new one?"

Stoick.

"Ahh...I'm not sure. I can make a basic platform and shackles, the harness shouldn't be too difficult, I'll make it so it can be adjusted. It'll take some time, but not much longer than a few hours."

A pause.

"Fine. The rest of us will get the ships ready and we'll be prepared for when you've finished."

The rest of the group concurred and they broke up. Hiccup quickly ducked behind some bushes beside the stairs and waited for any of the vikings who had just disbanded to disperse. Stoick and most of the war council moved off toward the harbour, but Gobber moved off to the forge.

Once he felt he stood little chance of getting caught, he stealthily darted off towards the larger hut on the hill overlooking the village.

 _A few hours...more than enough time_ , he thought as he charged through the door, letting it slam shut behind him. He took the stairs two at a time and skirted around the edge of his bed to his desk. There was an empty rucksack in the corner, the one he normally used to carry fish to Toothless, and a knapsack that Gobber had given him as a present on the day he had become his apprentice was sitting against his desk. Knowing he had more designs of greater sensitivity in the forge, Hiccup was light on what he took with him. Only packing away the ones that could prove more dangerous to the dragons.

On top of them, he packed an extra shirt and pants as well as another vest. The boots he wore were his only pair until he grew out of them or garnered one too many holes to be useful. He took one last glance around the room to see if there was anything else useful he could bring. His blanket. That would be helpful on cold nights, especially since winter was directly around the corner. He folded it and rolled it up, securing it to the side of his knapsack with the leather straps.

He got down on his hands and knees and looked under the bed. Sighing in relief he reached under and removed his flight harness. That would be important if they even wanted to get into the air. He pulled it over his head and tightened the drawstrings so it fit him securely.

Shouldering his bag along with the empty rucksack, he ran back down the stairs and left through the back door, mapping his way through town to the forge in his mind. He hoped that Gobber would already be hard at work by now.

He edged his way through the village until he reached his former place of work from the back, the sound of a hammer banging into a piece of metal on the anvil ringing loudly from inside. The cadence was quick, suggesting that Gobber was in a rush. He would be focused intently on his work, making it easier to sneak in.

He ducked below where the windowsill would reach and slunk around the side, imagining he had his Night Fury's catlike grace and ease of movement. It must have been so because he didn't bump into anything and the rucksack on his thin back remained concealed with him. Using a movement he had learned in dragon training from his human contemporaries, he vaulted through the window, pivoting on the heel of his hand, and landing in a low and quiet crouch.

 _Just goes to show I'm better at this sort of thing than they all think I am_ , he thought with a smile. Gobber had hesitated for a moment, but like every other viking on Berk or anywhere else, decided to dismiss small thumps and bumps as nothing.

He stole into the back workshop where he had previously spent most of his times, carefully making sure to angle the door back to a position where it looked undisturbed. Then, he turned to the desk and began rifling through his papers, searching for the most delicate of drawings that could spell potential doom for the creatures he now knew to call friends. Catapults, bola launchers, flamethrowers, improved swords and axes - he took them all, stuffing them into his bag. He knew that the people had already gotten good looks at Toothless, but he had written down many notes on his dragon friend. He snatched them up and shoved them into the nearly overflowing knapsack. He looked around once more for anything else he was sure to use.

His sketchbook and pencil. Charcoal could be found almost anywhere, so he didn't bother to pack more and risk it ruining his things.

Just then, he heard Gobber stop his work.

It wouldn't have concerned him if it was just a brief pause, but it wasn't. Rather, it was accompanied by voices.

"Ah, Astrid. What can I do ya for?"

"Hi Gobber. I was wondering if Hiccup was around anywhere."

The teenager in the back room that neither of them knew about paled. This wouldn't be good. She had been suspicious of him for the last couple weeks, even chasing him into the woods on several occasions before he managed to throw her off the trail and escape. She had come close to discovering Toothless the previous night, when he had intended to leave. He hadn't bothered then because she had come within meters of the cove and would have surely seen Toothless when they flew out. He didn't want to chance that then, but now it seemed like he might not have a choice.

"No, sorry. Haven't seen 'im since Stoick dragged him off."

Hopefully that would throw her off the trail.

"Mm. Well, would you mind if I took a look in the back. Stoick asked me to find him and bring him back to the house, but he's sneakier than I thought and I haven't been able to find him anywhere."

No such luck.

"Yeah, sure go ahead. I doubt he'd come here though. Your job's mos' likely already done for ya."

"Thanks but I'm not about to take my chances."

Hiccup looked around frantically for a place to hide as Gobber started up again. The hiding places in here were not very good and he couldn't pull himself up high enough to get into the rafters. He darted behind the door as it began to swing open.

As he thought, Astrid stepped in. She took a step forward, looking at the desk littered with papers wedged in the corner. Tilting her head and he hand on her battleaxe, she stepped over to it, never registering the stringbean shadow behind her.

She picked up a small set of drawings, notes mostly, but a few small village and home repair designs mixed in, and began to read through them. As soon as she flipped to another page, Hiccup slipped around the edge of the door and was out the window in the same breath.

He didn't waste any time before creeping his way over to the storehouse and cracking the door open just enough to slide into. It was dark inside, lit only by small holes near the roof that were small enough to allow for light, but not big enough for a dragon to weasel its way in.

It was packed to the rafters with rucksacks filled with fish and cadavers from the summer hunts wrapped in skins. All in all it stank to Valhalla on the inside, explaining why what fragrant fauna they had on Berk was situated just outside. Hiccup reached up and pinched his nose shut while he could, opening the lids on two rucksacks and emptying the half the contents of each into his own. Knowing the Vikings, it would look like he had taken less and cause less of a fuss.

He shouldered the much heavier bag once again, straining under the weight of it. Once he was on Toothless, it wouldn't be so bad. Thinking of his friend and the plight they found themselves in, his strength renewed itself with determination and he trudged forward. His toothpick-like legs were stronger than even he had thought, apparently.

With most of the village at the harbour, it wouldn't be difficult to rescue Toothless while Gobber was still busy. On a cursory glance around, he saw Astrid crossing through the town in the direction of his house. He swallowed, knowing she would be onto him shortly. He moved faster, eyes darting around in search of anyone who might see him.

He made it to the kill ring without incident, however, and set down his bags in the center. Carefully he approached each of the doors, calling for his friend each time.

It wasn't until he reached the door belonging to the Terrible Terror that he was met with a response. The dragon responded with a croon and a low pitched roar.

"Don't worry bud, I'll get you out of there," he told him, "I'll get you out of there. Just hang on." He looked around frantically, remembering the small door meant for the Terror was built into another, larger door. The lever was on the wall, and thankfully, Toothless hadn't been there long: it was easily movable, though he still had to hang all his weight on it. As soon as the door cracked open, a dark blur blasted out into the grey light of the afternoon. The dark wings shook out and the dragon darted from one area of the ring to another, but never leaving. Hiccup smiled, understanding that his friend was likely only expressing his excitement at having been released.

Finally, the dragon bounded up to him, skidding to a halt on the the stone floor. He looked him up and down a few times, almost expectantly before lurching forward to lick his rider's face. Hiccup reeled back and scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Toothless, blaughh," he cried, wiping the coat of saliva from his face. The dragon purred gently and nosed him in the chest, eyes asking if he was okay. His face softened and he reached up to rest a hand on his friend's disk-like skull.

"I'm alright, bud. I'm alright," he muttered quietly. The Night Fury crooned, his pupils enlarged in a display of happiness, and leaned into his hand before butting him again.

"Okay, Tooth, we gotta get out of here," he said, ending the moment of their reunion. The dragon nodded, pulling his head back and wheeling around back toward Hiccup's things and waving his prosthetic tail in it's creators face. Hiccup could see that the harness connecting the tailfin to the saddle remained undamaged, thankfully.

Toothless had circled the bags and was sniffing at the rucksack, aware that it contained all manner of fish. He bumped the top, attempting to get it open. "Not now, bud. That's got to last us for a few days," Hiccup said, crossing his arms and giving the dragon a stern look. If an animal could pout, Toothless would be. He put on his best innocent "please feed me" face, which Hiccup was having none of. Finally he gave in with an annoyed whuff and slouched down.

Hiccup smirked wryly before he collected his things, shouldering both bags yet again and looking at his companion yet again. The ever-inquisitive dragon stepped toward him, eyes searching his face knowingly.

It was now that trepidation set in. Would he be able to survive? He had never left Berk before. The world out there was so huge. Was it round? Would he fly off the edge eventually like they all feared? He supposed he would find out. This was not the time for doubts. He had Toothless with him. He would make it just fine. He exhaled a deep breath.

"Yeah, we're gonna do this. We're gonna bust outta here," he said, locking eyes with his friend. "And we're never coming back."

Toothless growled in concurrence, spinning in a circle before him. Hiccup laughed at his friend's antics and began to move around his side to make sure everything was in order when the amiable growl turned to a snarl. Alarmed, Hiccup's head shot up to look at Toothless, who was beginning to draw into himself and step back toward his rider. His wings spread out at his side, beginning to curl protectively around Hiccup, who followed the dragon's line of sight to the area surrounding the kill ring.

He stilled for a moment, listening. He could hear the not-so-faint sounds of a viking mob charging toward them. Soon enough the helmets and angry warriors appeared in their vision, taking in the boy and dragon seemingly trapped in the arena. Stoick charged in amidst them, his fur cape swirling around him. His eyes locked on Hiccup.

"THERE THEY ARE! MAN THE CATAPULTS! SHOOT THEM DOWN, BUT I WANT THEM ALIVE!" he shouted angrily, taking up a bola and swinging it. The rest of the vikings either began to scramble for weapons or spilled into the arena to overwhelm them.

Hiccup was on Toothless' back with his feet in the stirrups in less than two seconds. Realizing that his tail was once again working, the dragon so fearsome to the other vikings surged into the air on his powerful wings, knocking back the nearest vikings. The hole in the arena roof remained and they passed through it quickly enough to rely on velocity from a strong upward beat to carry them through.

From there, they charged up into the sky, trying to gain altitude quickly to get out of range of arrows and catapults. Hiccup chanced a look down once they had reached an even height. He could see his father far below him, raging as much as the next viking and then some.

"HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK THE THIRD, FROM NOW ON YOU ARE AN OUTCAST FROM BERK! IF WE EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, BOY, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" he screamed, all his rage dispensing itself.

Despite everything, Hiccup felt something inside of him drop at those words. He looked away and towards the horizon. The sky called to him, more than this life ever did. Catapult rounds filled the air around them, so he reached down to his friend's head, resting his hand on it again.

"C'mon bud. Let's get out of here."

 _And let's never come back…_

 **A/N: Sooo, how'd it gooo? Didja like it? Did it flow? Please Read and Review to let me know how ya'll like it and if I should post more...though I probably will anyway *rubs back of neck, smiles sheepishly, and laughs nervously* cya when I finish the next chapter, which, let's face it, probably won't be too long from now.**


	3. Chapter 1 - Ten Years Isn

**A/N: OH MY WORD GUYS! WHAT IN THE WORLD! THIS GOT SUCH AN AMAZING RESPONSE! HOW CAN ANYONE GET HOOKED ON A STORY WITH JUST A GLOSSARY AND A PROLOGUE?! I certainly hope this live up to expectations...**

 **Anyway, I want to thank you all real quick for reading this and following and favorite-ing this thing! And big shout-out to all those of you who took the time to kindly review this! I really appreciate it.**

 **Just a warning, this is the last mostly ready made chapter, so it might take a while longer for me to kick out the next one, but I'm pretty hyped so, keep your hopes up!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the HTTYD franchise, this is purely for fun, the idea of the Titan Wing dragons belongs to the lovely author of** ** _Return of the Dragon Rider whose name escapes me at the moment...and lastly, all OCs belong to me._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

 **Chapter 1 - Ten Years Isn't Long Enough to Forget**

A dark blur shot through the sky above the island of Draconia. It sliced through the air like a hot knife through butter, it's aerodynamic build creating little to no air resistance. With a loud roar, the blur tucked its wings into its sides and spiraled upwards out of the clouds. It leveled out again once it pierced through the haze and glided gently above the false surface. Another dark figure sat up from its position in the saddle attached to the thick neck of the creature, spreading their arms out to the side and mimicking its mount.

Hiccup took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, watching the different colors of the dawn as they began to spread across the sky. The sun had just barely crested the horizon when Toothless had jostled him out of bed to go riding. He hadn't stayed angry at his friend for long if at all. It was a beautiful day out. It wasn't too cold, nor was it too warm, making it the perfect weather for flying.

Knowing the dragon beneath him loved the aerial stunts they had become skilled enough to perform, he grabbed the handles in front of him and leaned forward again. Toothless, feeling the movement, flickered his ears up, waiting for a signal. Grinning, Hiccup adjusted the stirrup attached to the tail fin, collapsing it. With another roar, this one of excitement, Toothless tilted sideways and dropped into a freefall. Hiccup held onto his friend's saddle for a time, grateful that his training had allowed him to pull the same maneuvers as his dragon. Finally, when they saw an opening in the clouds below, he flipped out of the saddle and tucked his arms to his sides. He whooped once when Toothless caught up to him, spinning in the air with a grin that was entirely gums.

Below them, both the ocean and a maze of sea stacks appeared. Hiccup looked at his friend who seemed to dare him. Hiccup smiled at the challenge and nodded. Toothless twisted around in the air, exposing his back to his rider. Hiccup reached out and grabbed for the saddle, climbing on and locking his boots in the stirrups. He looked at their current course, the ocean coming up fast.

With the adjustment of the tail fin, Toothless exchanged the momentum from his fall for speed as he opened his wings and carried them into the gauntlet. They dodged left and right, ducking under arches and spinning through tunnels. The dragon and rider performed one final steep dive to avoid a sea stack before gliding over the dark blue waves of the ocean.

Thoroughly pleased with their exhilarating ride and seeing that the sun was beginning to near the halfway point in its ascent to high noon, Hiccup once again adjusted the tail fin and the pair veered off toward the island, Toothless' wing dipping into the water and creating a small crest.

It didn't take long for the island to appear through the dissipating fog that enshrouded the string of isles. The large structures making up the various stables, living towers, training grounds, the academy, and lastly the great palace. The massive empirical complex housing the current royal family gleamed stark white in the sunlight. He smiled faintly, observing the contrast it gave to the other buildings that made up the great Dragon City.

He tilted his heel back in the stirrup, and Toothless powered upwards, his wingbeats steady and even as they flew at what was considered to be standard altitude. Instead of entering the city from the East through the beaches, he chose to cut around to the West and enter by way of the harbor. Toothless didn't mind taking the long route, he preferred spending more time in the skies than he did cooped up in the palace.

It wasn't as though their lives were uncomfortable, despite their line of work, but Hiccup's job demanded he stay near or in the palace at almost all times aside from mornings and patrol days. In other words, Toothless sometimes went stir crazy and needed to get out.

In order to better facilitate his dragon, Hiccup had made a harness and tail fin that would allow him to fly without aid if he so desired. Toothless knew full well that the option was open to him, but he was more inclined to fly with his rider than on his own should something happen and they be separated.

The pair soared over the harbor where the fishermen were unloading their haul. A few of them he recognized heard the scream of the wind on the Night Fury's wings and waved up at them. He returned the gesture before flying onward to the palace.

His home.

He smiled at the thought. It wasn't his home perse, but he did live out of it because of his position on the Black Guard of Draconia. More specifically, his position as the personal bodyguard to Princess Maeri.

He aimed for one of the many windows in the side of the West wall, Toothless gliding in and coming for a landing on one of the wide platforms presented. Sitting up from his crouch, Hiccup stretched his back and got out of the saddle, having to adjust to the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet; a common occurrence when one has been riding for over two hours.

He gazed at his surroundings. Other members of the Black Guard who inhabited this wing of the Palace were milling about with their dragons, heading for the training hall or preparing to take a flight. Still others were entering from the inner palace, having flown through the main halls from the North, South, and East.

Hiccup stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back, and sighed. He would want to change before the day well and truly began. He turned and started walking leisurely towards the dormitories. A few more dragons and their riders flew past the banister of the large hallway he moved down, some calling out greetings to Toothless who returned them in kind.

Reaching the end of the hall at a set of stairs, he looked up to see the giant black banner hanging like a flag above the steps, emblazoned in gold with the crest of Draconia. A dragon's head with the sun between its horns, representing and acknowledging the ancient myths. The same crest appeared on Toothless' prosthetic in like manner, displaying the pair's affiliation. It also appeared on the shoulder pads of his everyday armor, though it was a simple matte black rather than gold.

Climbing the steps, he came to another long hall, divided into two sides with two stories, spiral staircases adorned to look like the dragons that were common in the area - snake-like and long with four thin legs and wings near their heads. He climbed up the staircase on his left and walked down the upper hall, Toothless trailing behind him.

He found their shared room and pulled open the large and heavy door so Toothless could enter. Knowing that he would be in for a wait, said dragon immediately slunk over to the slab of heatable stone that served as his bed and circled before curling up for a cat nap.

Hiccup cast him a sidelong grin before stepping into the modest bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Time for a warm shower. He stripped off the light clothes he wore when not on patrol and turned on the water from the spigot on the wall. Instantly water began to spew out of the showerhead above down into the marble tub. Once it had warmed to a comfortable degree, he stepped in and washed off.

When he was done, he turned off the spigot and carefully got out of the tub, grabbing for one of the somewhat-ratty towels on the bar. Drying off, he tied it around his waist and opened the door to walk out of the room.

He blinked twice when he was met with the sight of a large flame-red dragon wrestling with Toothless who looked thoroughly annoyed as it bit and tugged his ears. Not far from them was another one of the Black Guard riders on his squadron, Valentino. He laughed as Toothless growled and finally propelled his body out from under the other dragon's bulk and wings where he was pinned. Hiccup smiled as his snarling friend bounded behind him and hid there, as though his human could hide him.

Fortunately, Valentino's dragon was as respectful of Hiccup as his rider and he simply sat back down on its haunches respectfully and grumbled an acknowledgment, it's sulfuric yellow eyes glinting happily in the light.

Valentino half-turned to see Hiccup and smiled his signature, cocky grin.

"Ah, Tannalus, _mi amici_ , there you are," he said, turning all the way around and crossing his arms over his chest. Hiccup, or Tannalus as he was called, raised an eyebrow, wondering why one of his squadron-mates would come looking for him.

"What's up, 'Tino?" He asked the other, younger rider. Valentino winced, having come to dislike the nickname since he was out of his teens this year, but he sidestepped the issue and got to his point.

"Princess Maeri has called for your presence," he informed Hiccup, his dragon Fuoco stepping up and butting his side with his snout. Seeing the instant jolt to attention and the rigid stance of his superior, Valentino lifted a hand to stop him. "It's nothing urgent, she just said to get there as soon as you can. She's in her quarters, waiting."

"And how long ago did you leave her?" Hiccup growled. Valentino could have an empty and carefree head sometimes, but it didn't change the fact that he was one of the most skilled riders in the Guard. Valentino laughed slightly.

"Don't worry, my friend, I left her not three minutes ago. As her personal guard, your room is not far from hers if one flies," he said, with mirth in his golden eyes. Making sure his towel wouldn't come down, Hiccup darted behind a changing screen where he laid his clothes out each night before bed.

He pulled on the dark leather armor and tied his bracers onto his sleeves and his belt around his waist. Strapping on all his weaponry and throwing his hood over his head, he charged back out from behind the screen to find the two dragons and rider waiting for him.

"You want an escort, Tannalus?" Valentino inquired, obviously having nothing better to do since he hated boredom even more than escort duty. Hiccup shook his head.

"No, sorry Valentino. Besides, where's Felicia and Fiamma? I didn't send them out on any missions," he said, wondering where the other, more mature, Italian twin was. Valentino shrugged.

"She's in the training hall with some of her "girl-friends,"" the young man grimaced, putting air quotations around the last phrase, "meaning I'm not allowed to tag along."

Hiccup gave the younger of the pair a controlled grin while he laughed inside. It made sense that she would want time away from her brother since they had been joined at the hip ever since they were babies.

"I should go. She'll be annoyed if I don't show up soon," Hiccup said, Toothless shaking his head and ambling over to him. The black dragon nudged his rider, alerting him that he was just as ready to depart.

Valentino grinned and swung himself in Fuoco's saddle. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. Though I doubt she'll get annoyed with _you_ ," he said, intoning his voice in a manner that suggested that Hiccup and the Draconian royal were more than just friends. Hiccup grimaced. It was no secret that Valentino and the rest of his squadron believed they thought more of each other than they did.

In truth, or at least to Hiccup, they were no more than Guard and Princess, servant and royalty, though they were friends. He had a sworn duty to protect her, and went everywhere she did, whether she liked it or not.

He watched for a moment as Fuoco charged towards the large wall-sized open window adjacent to them and beat his wings several times before taking off and gliding into the sky, disappearing in the clouds. He shook his head after the younger man before turning to Toothless who looked ready to fly again.

Jumping onto his friend's neck, the dragon roared proudly and shot towards the same opening in the wall. Using their gained velocity, the Night Fury arced upwards and around, heading in the opposite direction as their comrade. Hiccup adjusted the tailfin gently, directing Toothless to curve his way up around one of the cubic spires that belonged to the princess.

Coming away from the tower for a moment as they reached the top, the pair swung around to where an open balcony stretched out from before the room, closed off with a gauzy scarlet curtain.

Closing the tailfin slowly, the pair came in for a smooth landing, marked only by the Night Fury's powerful wingbeats and his body touching down on the white stone. As soon as they had landed, Hiccup leapt out of the saddle once more and pushed his hood down, waiting for his charge to acknowledge his arrival and grant him entrance.

When no such summon came, he called into the room. "Princess? You sent for me?" Silence followed for a moment before a figure appeared behind the curtain and drew it back.

Princess Maeri Kasai stood there in her riding armor, designating her as the royal commander of the Dragon Rider Core. It was much like his own, but more pronounced with reds, golds, and very little black, while his was the opposite. Her long, straight black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, signalling to him that she had either gone on a ride without him or she planned to.

"Yes I did, Son Tannalus," she acknowledged, her gentle smile spreading across her face. She said no more.

"May I ask why?" He inquired, lifting an eyebrow in question. The smile disappeared and Hiccup frowned, aware now that this was something very serious if she was looking at him with a straight face.

"Come with me," she ordered, turning on the ball of her foot and striding back into her room. The Black Guard exchanged a glance with his dragon before following his charge. Inside, the room was lit with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and several single candles.

Respectfully, Hiccup stopped a few meters from the main area in which the Princess lived, staying in the outer ring of the room marked in the stone tile. He folded his hands behind his back and waited for her to explain her reason for calling him.

He didn't have to wait very long, thankfully.

"There is something coming, Tannalus," she began, her back to him, "something dangerous." Hiccup raised an eyebrow again and waited for her to continue. She had always been cryptic since he had met her, and likely she had been before then. He gave a quiet sigh, taking this side of her personality in stride.

It had been difficult in the beginning. She had been a rebellious teen when they first met, both her parents' pride and joy, but also the bane of their existence. She was constantly running off on her own with her dragon, not caring that everyone worried about her and that the future of Draconia was in her hands.

Hiccup had been assigned by Emperor Reseph himself not long after his ascension to the Black Guard. Not believing him to be any more than a "power grabber seeking favor with her father," Maeri had often disregarded him and his warning for her safety, blowing him off whenever he would warn her against something, and attempting to lose him and succeeding more than once.

However, nearly a year into his assignment, Maeri ran off into the fog surrounding an island known for dangerous dragons, not heeding Hiccup's repeated warnings not to go, having been there before himself on patrol. It was their first major argument, Hiccup having never raised his voice at her before. It had resulted in their only shouting match, which ended in Maeri flying off on her dragon, Shan.

Hiccup had followed not long after, and hung back for a while, but lost her in the fog. He found her not long after, slightly injured and being confronted by a small Titan-Wing. Hiccup and Toothless had fended it off briefly before antagonizing it and guiding it away. When they managed to return to the princess, she had lost quite a bit of blood.

Getting both the Princess and her dragon back to Draconia had not been difficult in itself, but what awaited Hiccup there was what was hard. He was nearly stripped of his rank as a Black Guard, but a recovered Maeri and Shan had stepped forward and attested to their bravery and selflessness. It had been surprising to hear it from her.

Since then, she had become more careful and rarely flew off without Hiccup at her side or close behind her. They had become better friends in more recent years, though Hiccup refused to step out of the boundaries set for him as her subordinate.

"Walk with me," came the Princess's voice, shaking him back to the present. He gave a nod and did as he was told, following after her. Opening her door, they immediately began to descend the large set of spiral stairs that led to the open hall.

"A Titan Wing has escaped the island," she said quietly once they were moving side by side. Hiccup couldn't help his eyes widening and whipping his head around to see her face.

"What?! How?!" He cried. The Core had been guarding the Titan Wing's islands in the fog for centuries. Never had a single dragon escaped since then.

Maeri shook her head, her hair swinging behind her. "It broke through patrol two nights ago and decimated a squadron. Only one made it back alive, just last night," she began, rubbing her hands together nervously. Hiccup's brow creased when she stopped altogether. "I likely shouldn't be telling you this, but I wasn't sure who to tell and I had to tell someone."

She took a breath and continued, quietly. "It attacked, un-"

"Wait, milady," he stopped her, "you really shouldn't be telling me this. It's not my place." And in truth, it wasn't. While he was one of the squadron leaders, and one of the highest ranking Black Guard, he was still not one of the royal family or a member of the war council.

She stopped him in turn. "No, let me tell you. It's very important." Hiccup shut his mouth and let her go on.

"The report wasn't clear as the rider was heavily injured and needed tending to, but we could gather that it attacked without provocation. He said it blasted out of the mist, spewing fire, and swinging its claws and tail, heading West," she continued, taking his arm in hers and pulling him to walk with her.

His whole mind screamed against the situation and the way it looked, but he listened to what she had to tell him as it was, as she said, important. They continued their walk until they reached the balcony that looked out over the training hall where Core riders and Black Guard were training and sparring. The sound of weapons clashing against one another in the background drowned out the chances of anyone hearing their conversation.

"It needs to be tracked down and brought back here. Before it harms anyone else," she mused, gripping the balcony with both hands.

"I doubt anyone will be able to track it down before then," Hiccup added, rubbing his chin in thought. He knew it would be a simple matter for any dragon to track down another, but Titan Wings could travel far and fast, and there was simply no way anyone could catch up with a three day headstart.

"Well, there is someone," she said, trailing off. Hiccup turned to her and raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Who?" He asked.

She turned to look at him. "You."

He was speechless. He could give her a thousand reasons why he shouldn't be her choice, but none of them would come out of his open mouth.

"Before you say anything, Tannalus, you are the most qualified to go. You are one of the best trackers in the Guard and one of the most trusted squadron leaders," she said, her large brown eyes meeting his, pleading with him to listen to her. His mouth remained open, still unable to sputter out a response.

"And besides, the dragon was headed West. You know the way back better than anyone, and it was a Great Northern Queen. Likely, it will be heading back the way you came," she finished, waiting for his response.

Hiccup clenched his hands into fists and worked his now closed jaw. All reasons why he shouldn't go were begging to be said.

 _He needed to stay here._

 _He needed to watch over her, do his job._

 _He needed to lead his squadron._

First and foremost, he didn't want to go back to the Archipelago.

He sighed. Her logic, however, was sound. He was the only rider who came from the Mid-Western world. He looked away and crossed his arms, deflating as he mulled over the idea.

"Please, Tannalus."

He shut his eyes and exhaled again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, I'll do it."

~oOo~

Astrid Hofferson's legs were killing her.

To make it worse, she had just jumped off a roof and onto the back of a Deadly Nadder, tackling the creature to the ground. It squawked at her when she tumbled off and turned to face it, her hand rising to the hilt of the axe on her back.

The blue creature roared at her, extending its wings to make itself look bigger and flashing the spines on its tail.

She really should have brought a shield.

Nevertheless, she remained unfazed by the display and even began a small charge at it to give her own threat display. Hissing in indignation, the Nadder scraped its talons on the ground and charged forward, tail raised to attack. Astrid met it halfway, swinging her axe and bashing the flat side into its skull before rolling away to avoid the tail.

The Nadder shook its head, disoriented, before turning to face her again. She got into a battle stance and waited. It shook its head once more before seeming to realize that she would not be an easy opponent and flying off to join the swarm of other dragons riding away.

She replaced her axe of her back, noting that the head had come loose and was not off-balance. She would need to visit Gobber later that morning.

The sun was beginning to rise over the ocean, and she could see that the day would soon be truly beginning as well. The last stragglers of the dragons were taking off, shrieking at their Viking enemies and trying to keep what food they could in their clutches.

Once the last one had been driven off, Astrid took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, glad that the fourth attack in two weeks was over at last.

For a long time, the dragon attacks had died down until there was barely one a year, but now in the last month or so, the creatures had returned almost fifteen times, near-decimating their village and hardly leaving them time to rebuild.

It was in this impossible climate that Astrid found herself wishing she were still a child. She could forget all of this and hide under a table with the rest of them. But she was a grown woman of 25 years, not to mention one of the tribe's bravest and most valuable warriors. She needed to maintain that reputation.

Right now, however, she needed sleep. The raid had lasted longer than usual, spanning two hours since the start of it at around 4:00. She dragged herself through the village, looking at all the pain and suffering of her tribe. Some were attempting to clear roof materials from their homes, cleaning up and assessing damages. They would need to work fast if they wanted to be prepared in time for the next inevitable raid.

She could see the Chief, Stoick the Vast, standing on the steps to the great hall, 10 years having done nothing to stoop his indomitable frame. She had once looked upon him with admiration and respect, but now she could see what lay beneath his proud exterior.

It was the same thing that lay beneath her own surface.

Doubt.

She knew they both wondered, quite against their will, what would have happened if his outcast son had stayed. Or rather, what would have happened had he not been banished.

Hiccup had been all but forgotten until recent times, as the problem with the dragons had never been so bad. But in recent times, it was impossible not to wonder what it would have been like if he had been allowed to continue. Would they have these problems? Or would his ideals have ushered in a new era of peace?

Either way, there was no turning back now. The dragons, while not volatile or dangerous, still could not be located no matter what they tried. It turned out that normal horde dragons were more loyal than they anticipated.

She put the thoughts aside however as she trudged up the hill to her house, opened the door, and stepped into the warmer area. It was reasonable fortunate that her house was sequestered in the back corner of the village, away from the pastures where the dragons normally consolidated their attacks, as she was able to return to the warmth and security the wooden board walls provided.

She propped her axe against a chair and pushed herself up the stairs to her bedroom. Finally reaching her destination, she flopped onto the mattress, her feet crying out in relief when they left the floor.

She fell asleep almost instantly.

 **A/N: Alright, so hopefully that wasn't too painful to read. It was long though. Astrid and Berk's bits are short, but I couldn't think of what else I wanted to put into that at the moment, but there will be more in-depth reveals about what has changed on Berk once Hiccup gets involved. So, I hope to see you all soon and hear any pointers you guys might have!**

 **~IMSP *finger snap guns* out.**


	4. Chapter 2 - Things Have Changed

**A/N: Hey guys! Glad to be back to submit this next chapter. Told ya'll that it was gonna take a little longer than the last one as this one was built from scratch. Hope ya like it. (p.s I may or may not come back to this and clean it up, because, frankly, it feels like I did a poo poo kaa kaa job on this one)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely out of fun, and all OCs belong to moi.**

p.p.s: This takes place during where we left Astrid in the last chapter. *finger guns* cya at the end!

 **Chapter 2 - Things Have Changed**

It had been nearly a month since Hiccup had packed up and left the White City behind, albeit with trepidation.

Honestly, he really didn't want to, and everyone knew it. His squadron had offered to come with him, but he had declined, at least for the moment, telling them to follow after a couple weeks. His trail wouldn't have gone cold by then, and by the time they arrived, he would have likely pinned down where the Titan Wing was located.

He had spent the entire trip praying to any god he had learned about that the dragon wouldn't be attracted to civilization. But of course, it was. It needed food and it had amassed an army in the brief time it had made its home in the Archipelago to get it.

And the best places to get food were where there were people.

He had spent two weeks tracking the movements of one particular horde, which mimicked the actions of dragons stealing food under duress or mind control. He had learned enough to know that dragons didn't steal for the fun of it, or for food. They mainly only ate fish, and were proficient sea hunters. That they would raid villages for food suggested that what food would normally suffice for them, no longer did so. Even then, the dragons would have simply moved on and found other feeding grounds or waters. However, a nest with a demanding Queen, using her abilities to control them, would prevent them from leaving even after food ran out, prompting them to raid villages to get the proper nourishment to feed the queen and their young.

He'd seen it happen before, and even came to the conclusion that that was the problem on Berk. Dragons had been manipulated to attack the village and steal the livestock and other stores.

And, in his time of tracking, he had discovered something both odd and annoying. The dragons were beginning to favor raiding Berk again as the other islands had less and less to offer. When there were no longer any easy catches to be found in some villages, the dragons would leave and allow them to grow once more before returning when the pickings were good.

They would favor one island for weeks, then move on to another once they had sucked it dry.

It was under these grim systematic circumstances that Hiccup was forced to land on the hated island against his better judgement.

He had tried again and again to find his way around having to do so, circling the archipelago and hoping that the dragons would begin to move on so he could track them from an environment less disagreeable. The thought of returning to the place he had once called home had repulsed him so much, it physically felt like sandpaper grating against his skin.

His dragon had growled and grumbled his thoughts most of the way as, though they needed a place to land and make camp, he too had no strong desire to return to a place that had caused his closest friend so much pain over the years.

However, they couldn't keep sleeping out in the open every night on sea stacks or take refuge in caves that were beginning to become inhabited by villagers and vikings who had been burned out of their own homes.

So, in the end, they had little choice as to where they were supposed to go.

It was nearing midnight when he aimed Toothless for the Cove and they landed on the shore of the lake. He slid out of the saddle and stretched his arms and legs, joints cracking as he did so, and then moved over the edge of the water and dropped to his knees, leaning down to splash the liquid onto his tired face and scooped more into his hand to drink.

It went down his dry throat easily and he repeated the process a few more times before wiping his mouth off on his sleeve and getting back to his feet. He looked over to Toothless who had also been taking a long drink, their latest flight having worn him out. The large Night Fury shook his head and snorted, sending droplets of water flying through the air.

Hiccup trudged over to the large nearly-dead tree that had grown so large, its leaves extended out above the rim of the Cove. He assessed it as a whole, looking to see if it would make an optimal camping spot.

A growl from behind him caused him to turn to see Toothless sitting back on his haunches and waiting with tired eyes for Hiccup to remove the several packs attached to the saddle and harness. Obligingly, Hiccup moved over to his side and undid each of the many packs with sleepy hands. When they were all off, Hiccup simply removed a woolen blanket and dragged himself back over to the tree and ducked into the gash of a hole in the trunk.

Toothless entered behind him and settled himself so that Hiccup leaned against his side. It took a while for his overtired mind to finally give in and allow him to rest. He wanted to sleep, but his mind was racing with possibilities of the Berkians discovering them.

Finally, a soft muzzle whuffing his side caused him to look down to see that his agitation had affected his dragon. The large green-gage eyes stared up at him empathetically for a moment before blinking shut as the nose nudged him again.

Smiling weakly, Hiccup finally let sleep claim him for the first time in three days.

Unfortunately, it was not to last.

He wasn't certain how long he had been asleep, but it was still dark in the predawn hours of the morning. The sounds of shrieking dragons, Viking war cries, metal clashing against bone, and the smell of smoke from dragonfire roused him from his sleep.

He sat bolt upright out of a dream when it all reached him deep in his subconscious. Toothless likewise had awoken, ear flaps perked up on high alert. The dragon made an agitated noise caught somewhere between a growl and a roar and got to his feet, running out of their shelter. Hiccup quickly followed suit, having had enough training to be able to achieve full alertness on very little sleep and short notice.

He looked up to the sky, scrutinizing the view for signs of a dragon attack. Sure enough, they were present. Streaks of smoke covering the stars, more smoke billowing above the treeline, and of course a cacophony of sounds raging in the direction of the village. Sighing in exasperation, he looked to Toothless who appeared ready to investigate if he was.

 _Just as long as we don't get too close_ , he thought before darting off towards the entrance of the Cove that he had discovered ten years earlier. Without thinking, he pivoted on the heel of his hand over a the rotting wood and rusted metal frame of the shield he had left there so long ago.

It took the pair under five minutes to charge relatively silently through the brush, Hiccup having grown strong and fast enough to match Toothless in speed on foot. It took some maneuvering, but he managed.

Breathing hard, they reached a cliff at the edge of the village and crouched, melding with the shadows cast by trees and the early morning light. He scanned the village, taking numbers and wracking his brain for names. He recognized a few faces, some conjuring more ire than others.

He glimpsed Fishlegs, the boy's bulk and squared figure unmistakable as he charged around, screaming and waving his stone hammer above his head, bashing it into every reptile that crossed his path.

He saw Ruffnut and Tuffnut, tag teaming to bring down dragons with nets and their spears, but often failing and nearly getting themselves killed.

When they did, Snotlout, his despised cousin, was often the one to get them out of trouble. It didn't really surprise Hiccup, they had always been friends. It appeared his cousin's ego had not shrunk. Rather, it seemed to have grown even larger. He now wore a fur cape, much like his father had, and had grown some scraggly facial hair. He was even more repulsive to Hiccup than he had been when they were younger.

He caught sight of Gobber, waving his axe prosthetic and hobbling down the streets as well as he could. However, he didn't seem to have slowed down at all as he was still very capable of cutting down several dragons.

Finally, he spotted his father, still standing tall; though the years had worn on him. He was running through the heat of the battle, directing the defensive and leading some brief attacks himself. Hiccup found many emotions swirling through his mind. Hate, nostalgia, righteous rage, but also indifference. He was indifferent when a dragon would get close enough for a killing strike to his father. It no longer bothered him whether his father lived or died. And maybe it never had but he'd never noticed it before.

As he was beginning to crawl backwards toward the treeline to make an escape to the Cove, he heard another familiar war cry that he didn't think he would ever be able to forget. His head shot up and his eyes widened to see Astrid Hofferson run across a sloped roof and take a flying leap into the air onto the back of a Deadly Nadder.

She had changed her looks as well. Gone was the 14 year old girl who had neither bullied nor stood up for him, and in her place was a young woman ten years older. Her outfit was different, too. Instead of the light blue shirt, she wore red, and more fur in the form of her hood and bracers. Her skirt remained the same, looking dangerously spiky and impossible to sit in, and her war axe was strapped to her back. He found its placement odd, as in old times, it would be hoisted high above her head to strike the dragon. Rather, she wrestled the great blue beast to the ground, rolling away from it and finally lifting her axe into a ready position after the creature shook itself out and bristled to face her. Interested, he ignored Toothless's naggings to return to their camp and watched her, just to see what she would do.

Had anything on Berk changed for the better?

He felt perhaps a small spark of hope ignite inside of him, until the the dragon charged her and she met it halfway. However, instead of lodging her axe into its skull as he thought she would, she instead simply slammed the flat side of the iron into its head, discombobulating it.

She ducked to avoid the tail and then moved away from it, letting the beast recover. When it did, she didn't bother to pursue it, seeing that her point was made, and the dragon flew off with a squawk and a shake of its spines.

He watched her survey the battle and sigh as the last of the horde began to relent and leave, scrambling to gather what they could before they were driven off entirely. Then she began to trudge up the path, presumably to her home or the Great Hall.

Hiccup in turn snuck back with Toothless to the Cove, the Night Fury grumbling and telling him off in his own way that staying until dawn was reckless.

The morning sun had already begun to slice its way through the fog by the time they returned to their little hideout and Hiccup was dead tired, all adrenaline having purged itself from his veins. Sighing, he settled down again, in the shadow of the tree and closed his eyes. He would wake that night and return in case there was another attack. The dragons had not made off with much in the end; they would be back.

And he would be ready to follow them.

 _Meanwhile, that afternoon…_

Astrid walked up the steps of the Great Hall feeling well rested and able to face the remainder of the day. She pushed the huge stone doors aside and stepped into the dimly lit space, noting that Stoick and the War Council were in the middle of a meeting.

Deciding not to intrude on the council while it was busy, she quietly made her way over to a table laden with plates of smoked fish and a boar as well as mead. She filled up her plate with fish, as that wasn't as precious a commodity as boar, and picked up a flagon of the drink before moving to another table where she wouldn't appear to be suspicious of eavesdropping.

Picking at the fish with a utensil, she listened to what she could of the debate going on not fifty meters from her seat.

"-have to try to find the nest again! It's a wonder they haven't found where the fleet is hidden and burned it out yet! I say we should take advantage of that and make another go!"

"I agree with Spitelout. If we don't act now, we'll likely be burned out of our homes just like all the other settlements have been and starve!"

"Ya need ta' calm down, the lot of ya! The dragons haven't bothered us this much in ages. If we wait 'em out a bit longer, they'll likely leave again, jus' like before."

"Gobber, I don't know if we can wait that long. And what if they never stop coming? I know you only have yourself to worry about, and Phil of course, but I have a child. I don't want them to die because we all sat on our hands and said we couldn't do anything when we could."

"I agree with Helga. No matter what we think, we can't just sit back and hope for the best. We have to act now."

It was at this point that Astrid heard Stoick sigh.

"Alright. As soon as the repairs have been made and defenses have been set up, we'll organize another raid. If we can catch a dragon," he said, his weariness evident in his voice. Astrid was certain that if she looked at him now she would see dark circles under his eyes.

A moment of silence later, the doors of the Hall banged open, slamming into the walls and one of the lookouts charged in.

"CHIEF! OUTCASTS!" He shouted, causing Astrid, and probably everyone else, to jump out of their seats. Stoick's head jerked up and a series of emotions passed over his face. Not among the least of them was something caught between dread and resignation. The normally indomitable Chief paled as the out-of-breath viking ran up, joined by everyone else in the Hall and those who had followed him in.

Astrid joined her group of friends, who were panting from chasing after the man.

"Do any of you have any clue as to what is happening?" She inquired, looking from one reddened face to another. Each of them shook their heads. She grimaced. Besides herself and Fishlegs, none of them really retained information very well.

 _Except for him_ , she thought, tightening her jaw at the thought of Hiccup. She turned her attention back to the man and listened to what the conversation going on between him and the Chief.

"When did you first see them, Ulric?"

"Just moments ago, sir. They're on the horizon. I reckon they'll be here before dawn tomorrow."

Just great. Another sleepless night. Astrid sighed.

"That's not good at all. Do you know what their intentions could be?'

"I doubt anything good. They were in their warships."

"It's likely they heard our fleet is nowhere to be seen. Probably think it was sunk by the dragons."

Spitelout chimed in. "What do we do, Stoick? Do we fight 'em on the sea? They won't be expecting a water attack."

Stoick thought about it for a moment. "No. We need to save our armada for the raid. Right now, we need to prepare for an attack. Ulric, go back to your post and have Fishlegs go with you, I want regular reports. If they change course, I want to know about it.

"The rest of you, get ready to set up blockades at the docks," he ordered, everyone present nodding and then exiting the Hall they way they came. Astrid sighed again, blowing her bangs out of her eyes and making her way down to the docks with Snotlout and the twins.

When they reached the docks, most of the village behind them, everyone immediately set to work. Some were patching the wooden walls and others were setting them up.

Astrid lingered for a minute, but then found herself being saddled with a job to collect lumber from the forest as there was not enough wood to build new blockades that would withstand the attack.

With a quick nod, she darted back up the docks and headed off toward the deep forest.

 **A/N: Shorter than I'd have liked, but hopefully it'll do until next time. Now, I have a forest meeting scene to write. Hiccup goes all mysterious on Astrid and stuff like that. Yeah.**

 **Also, I reeeeaaaaaallly wanna thank everyone who has reviewed and faved and followed this story. The e-mails I get letting me know really make my day, and I love the messages that I get from you guys.**

 **You know who you guys are, hopefully, but yes in response to two reviews here are my answers:**

 **1.) Yes, Hiccup will kick the crap out of most of the people in the village.**

 **2.) I, uh, I meant to say Core...*coughs nervously*...um, yeah...*not really*...eheheheh...**

 ***more finger guns* IMSP, out! Cya when the next chapter is finished!**


	5. Chapter 3 - Tricks of the Light or Mind?

**A/N: Well guess who's been motivated the last couple days? It's Spring Break in my school district plus the weekend, so I've been powering through the last couple chapters. This one's a bit of a filler chapter since it would have been too long if I had tacked on the fight with Outcasts (which I have slated to be the next chapter) Hope this one isn't bad, as I am paranoid that there's stuff wrong with it, but you guys seem to really,** ** _really_** **like this. I mean, my e-mail is getting blown up with alerts and reviews and its INCREDIBLE! I never expected it to get this large of a following, it's not just blowing up my e-mail, its blowing up my brain!**

 **I want to thank you guys sooo much for reading and responses to a few of the latest reviews are at the bottom! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me.**

 **Chapter 3 - Tricks of the Light or Mind?**

Hiccup next woke when the sun was high in the sky, and getting lower by the minute. He had slept for likely another six or so hours. Unaccustomed to waking so late, he knew that he would be up late into the night to compensate; perhaps not the worst trade off, but it could have been better.

Getting to his feet, he found Toothless outside, wide awake and trying to snatch a fish from the water of the lake. Twice he missed, causing most of them to flee. Hiccup smiled for a moment before his stomach growled and he stepped over to his friend to help him.

"Team up?" He asked. The Night Fury seemed to give him a challenging grin, which the human took as an affirmation to his proposition. The young man moved over to where he had left their supplies and removed something resembling a fishing net. That was its purpose, but the net was not made of the usual rope. It had a lightweight metal twined into the threads, making the net near impossible to break and excellent for fishing with a dragon.

Having stripped of his armor, coat, shirt, and boots, Hiccup waded into the shallow area and planted himself amongst the algae and stones, digging his toes into the mud, effectively making him immovable. Toothless moved further out into the deeper water, using his wings to glide out to the center. He looked back at Hiccup, who nodded that he was ready. Then he dove under.

All was silent for a few minutes, Toothless able to hold his breath for much longer than Hiccup. He waited, eyes scanning the surface for his friend's shadow. All of a sudden, he saw a bright purple flash and a mass of fish came surging towards him. Another blast shown and exploded just in front of him, soaking him in the bone-chilling water. Gasping, he lifted the net as fish began to rain down and catch themselves in the net.

Acting quickly, he gathered up the corners and dragged their haul out of the lake. Turning back, he saw Toothless's head pop out of the water as he gasped for breath, his wings beating and legs churning the water so as to stay afloat. Sucking in another deep breath, the dragon dove back under and charged for the shore.

He clawed his way out of the lake and shook himself out, spraying water everywhere. Hiccup could see he was shivering and looking annoyed, as the water was colder than they both remembered, but the prospect of a large meal made him perk up considerably.

Hiccup divided the catch up evenly. Three for him, and 350 for Toothless. He smiled at the thought that they had probably decimated about half the aquatic population of the lake as he shoved his dragon's share over to where he was laying down a bed of flame to reheat his blood.

Looking at his lonely three, still flapping and gasping now that they were out of water, Hiccup grimaced at the thought of eating them without having cooked them through. Bones he could stand, a live fish he could not.

"I'm gonna go find some firewood, bud," he said, walking over to his pack again and redressing before removing a mask he used to conceal his identity in "delicate" situations.

Toothless, pausing in his eating, watched him for a moment before grunting at him and sending him a look that told Hiccup to be cautious. It was the middle of the day, he could be caught easily if he wasn't careful.

"Don't worry, Tooth, I'll be careful. I don't plan on getting us found out for a while if I can help it," he said, muttering the last part. Then he turned and strode out of the clearing, making his way up into the forest.

He did his best not to wander too far, just searching for a small supply of brush and sticks that would burn easily at first, but then considered gathering some larger branches for kindling.

As he searched, he was given ample opportunity to assess the situation that Berk found itself in. Going over what he knew and doing some preliminary guesswork, he could assume that the Great Northern Queen dragon had arrived much faster than he had, which was to be expected. It had taken him a bit over 6 weeks for him to arrive in the Archipelago, a journey which could have been accomplished by a much larger dragon in a matter of days.

It was also more than enough time for her to have wrangled every dragon in the Archipelago into her control.

One of the first things he had learned when he joined the Corps was that the Titan Wings had an inherited ability to control smaller dragons because of their dominating size and superior power. However, another thing he had learned early on, was that dragons could be broken from their grasp if they were separated from the "Queen's Call" or if they heard an "Alpha Call."

Generally, once a dragon had been subject to a Queen's mind controlling and had broken free, they became immune to that particular signal, able to hear it but also able to resist. From there it was fairly easy to gather that Toothless had been controlled by a Titan Wing prior to their meeting, and from either hitting his head when Hiccup shot him down or his inability to return to the nest, he had broken free. He crouched down briefly to pick up another sizeable branch.

Much of their time joining the elite corps and Black Guard had been spent building up his dragon's resistance to mind control from Queens and Alphas. It had been useful in their many sojourns into the mists surrounding Titan Island.

The snap of a twig jolted him out of his thoughts and he whipped around to see where the noise had come from to see a certain blonde, female Viking with a pile of wood of her own staring at him from where she was in the middle of exiting a bush, shock in her eyes.

Hiccup swore under his breath and thanked whatever higher powers were out there that his hood was still up.

Astrid hated finding lumber, she really did. Not only was it hard work to find the lumber, but it was also a tiresome chore carrying it back to the village and then the docks. She would be lucky if she made it back by nightfall. She plowed through the many bushes and underbrush that stood in her way as she delved deeper into the woods to find large branches. She was aware that she was not the only one they had sent, but they were men in teams. They would work quicker and more efficiently than she ever could, and they were looking for much bigger hauls than she was. Her wood was more likely to be used for patching and building up the barriers than anything else.

Annoyedly, she bent over to pick up a thick tree branch about as long as her arm, but twice as thick. She continued for a few more minutes, her pile increasing and size and weight. Her arm began to ache from holding what felt like three of her war axes.

She was just thinking about turning back when she pushed through an overgrown berry bush mixed with leaves and stopped dead.

In front of her was a large black shape, broken up by patches of red and dark silver. Her eyes went wide when she saw a hand snake out from the shape and pick up a piece of wood about the size of her largest one and add it to a pile in its arms about twice the size as hers. The figure then stood up to its full height and adjusted its load so it could carry it comfortably. The shape and height of the figure told her that it was a he.

He wasn't built like an average Viking, and he certainly wasn't dressed like one. She wondered what business he would have on Berk, especially if he hadn't approached the village. He could be passing through. Just entered from the other side of the island and not bothered with the locals or not realized they were there.

 _He could be a spy for the Outcasts. He could have told them how weak we are and then alerted them that it was the proper time for an assault_ , she thought, against her will. It was then that she happened to shift her weight just slightly and step forward onto a twig. It snapped and she flinched.

The figure whirled around at an inhuman speed. She looked up and met its, his, eyes. They were a deep, dark emerald color that was dimmed considerably because of the shadows cast by his hood.

That was all she could see of his face. The complete lower half of his face, the bridge of his nose, and his cheekbones were covered by a black covering that was not shadow, but a mask.

She could see a flash of fear in his eyes when he saw he was discovered, but he didn't start or run. He stood stock still, eyes never leaving hers. He muttered something that she couldn't discern, but nothing else.

Astrid found her voice first.

"Who are you?" She asked, her eyes twitching to narrow suspiciously, "Are you a spy for the Outcasts?" She waited for his answer, but none came.

"Answer me!" She cried after a minute, dropping her wood and taking a step forward, reaching for her battle axe. It turned out to be a mistake as, no sooner had she moved to take her step, than he had turned back around the way he had been facing and darted off into the forest.

Shocked at his speed, she charged after him, trying to keep up, but tripping on the wood he had left behind. Growling, Astrid got back into her stride and charged after him. For a moment, she thought she had lost him, but then caught sight of a figure not fifty yards away pivoting over a fallen log and veering left. Astrid followed.

However, as soon as she had completely copied his manuver, she lost him entirely.

She stopped for a minute, looking around for any sign that he had passed through. There was none. All every leaf was still, and no footprints tamped down the grass or appeared in the dirt. There was nothing for her to track. She stayed for a long moment before continuing on through the brush in the direction he had taken, only to find herself at a sheer cliff 200 meters high.

Frowning and frustrated, she turned back and followed her tracks back the way they came, back towards where she had dropped her wood. She stepped back through where they had originally disappeared through, careful to step over where his wood had been.

Key words: had been.

She turned back around to see that there was nothing there. Nothing but small splinters and marks in the dirt where they had fallen. Nothing else. Looking over, she saw her wood pile was intact. Nothing was removed.

Just _nothing_.

She couldn't help but growl in frustration. She had been unable to catch him, keep up with him even. She was one of the best trackers in the tribe, and the fastest adult runner, but she still was unable to find him. He left no trace.

There was no way he could have been human. The steele in his gaze had only seemed to confirm them; they held no emotion beyond the initial shock of being discovered. From there, only his shape could have been described as that of a man.

 _A_ _Vættr_ _, perhaps?_ She thought, wondering what kind of spirit it could be. A trickster of Loki searching for wood? She was unsure, but she did know that night was arriving and she would be needed for other tasks back in the village.

Picking up her findings, she set off back to the village, something fearful in the back of her mind telling her that she ought to run.

But she didn't.

Hiccup sighed in relief when Astrid finally moved on from his hiding place, racing off into the forest after "an outcast spy." He had left no tracks for her to follow, but she would follow her own back this way. He needed to move.

Carefully, he shimmied back down the tree he had literally run up the side of and darted back around the path he had taken, weaving through trees, leaping from one to the ground and then back again, using his surroundings to further him in his environment.

Using this particular mode of transportation, known in an Eastern Draconian dialect as _Parukuru_ or "parkour" when translated to his language, he reached his destination in mere minutes. He picked up his wood pile and shot back out of the clearing, aware that he was well ahead of Astrid in terms of time. He tipped his head back to look at the sky, streaked with clouds and coming darkness.

Dodging branches and trees, stepping lightly, he arrived at the Cove and slid down the entryway into the main area. Toothless looked up in surprise from where he had been napping until he saw it was only Hiccup.

Out of breath, his rider bent double in front of him, dragging in as much air as his strong lungs would allow. The Night Fury cast him an unamused look as if to say "I told you so."

Hiccup paid his friend no attention as he caught his breath and then gathered up his kindling and brush and moved to where he could build a small fire. Arranging his materials carefully so there would be minimal smoke, he stockpiled the rest beside his gear and grabbed his flint rocks from his satchel.

Sitting down, he began attempting to light a spark to catch the wood on fire. Berk's trees and brush didn't burn too easily, but they could be set ablaze with enough work. Night had nearly fallen by the time he had a small fire in the works.

Warming himself with the little heat it gave off, he let his mind drift to what Astrid had called him, or rather, asked of him. A spy for the Outcasts? It was true he was not, but her suspicion spelled trouble for the tribe. Almost as though they were expecting an attack from the rival tribe. He gazed into the fire, a frown creasing his brow.

It would mean that they would be facing twice the hardships that they had previously faced with the dragons. Likely, the Outcasts had heard that Berk had once again fallen victim to horde attacks and had decided it time to end the age old war between them. Even to Hiccup it was a coward's move.

Sighing he closed his eyes and mulled over his options. He could stay out of it all and hope that Berk would win, thereby giving him the chance that he would be able to track the dragons, or he could help his onetime tribe and ensure his ease of finding them. It was a difficult choice.

He still despised these people, but if they were destroyed he would have to follow the dragons to Outcast island, which wouldn't last long under their fire either. Still, helping his tribe might mean he would get discovered, or they might try to search him out.

He thought back to Astrid not three hours prior. She had not given him any indication that she saw him as familiar. He had changed both his looks and garb in the last ten years, and once he had all his weapons on him, he would pose a much more threatening visage than he did as a scrawny 15 year old.

He felt more than heard Toothless snake his way around him, curving his reptilian body to fit around his rider, who nestled himself between his wing and his shoulder. Hiccup exhaled again and opened his eyes, turning his head to look Toothless in the eye. As usual, the Night Fury looked as though he knew what Hiccup was thinking.

"We need to help them, bud. It's unnecessary for them to endure this much trouble on top of the horde," he said quietly, reaching out to pet his friend's scaley head. Toothless gave a small nod of understanding, his pupils still large and round despite his awareness.

 _Besides_ , he thought, _I don't have to approach them as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I am Son Tannalus of the Royal Dragon Empire of Draconia. Captain of a leading squadron of the Black Guard and personal bodyguard to the Princess._

His thoughts gave him confidence and he decided that the course of action he had chosen, while having consequences, was for the best.

 **A/N: Alright, so here we are at the end of another chapter. I hope it doesn't sound too cheesy. There are a few stupid references here, and the fic is supposed to be serious and semi-dark. It will achieve both of these in the next few chapters, so I thought I would just maybe throw in...yeah. Nevermind.**

 **Anyway, review responses! Here they are:**

 **1.) For NatBlake: Yes, I will be adding in alternate P. , starting with Fishlegs actually, and then a few others.**

 **2.)DreamMelody: ehehehehe...of course they will...All in good time, my friend, all in good time...**

 **3.)Crystallion12: NO! NONONONONONONONOOO! Gobber does not have a child! I am so sorry that you thought that! Phil is his pet sheep!**

 **See you all as soon as I'm done with the next chapter! *more finger guns* IMSP out!**


	6. Chapter 4 -- Outcast Attack

**A/N: Why hello there dear readers! How are all of you this fine afternoon? I would like to hope that you're all doing well. Sorry this one took so long. It was difficult to write and *sigh* once again, I am still not happy with my work. I hope it isn't crap, but if it is, please please please lend me some constructive criticism. Just...please don't flame me and say you're helping... Either way, here's the next chapter, sorry for being late, and enjoy the show!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely for fun and all OCs belong to me. :)**

 ****Also quick warning, this chapter does contain a small fight scene and there is some blood drawn! I told you that this was rated "T" for reasons, and this is likely one of them!****

 **Chapter 4 - Outcast Attack**

It was barely after 2:00 in the morning based on the position of the moon when the Outcasts finally reached Berk, entering the harbor and docking their warships. Fishlegs had been keeping a lookout with Ulric, taking messages to and from the Great Hall and the defenses.

Now Ulric turned to him and nodded, aware that they would need to be quiet in order to surprise the Outcasts. Fishlegs nodded back and ran as fast as his stocky legs could carry him to the Great Hall where the War Council was waiting and the children and women unable to fight were holed away.

Out of breath and panting, he sputtered out his message.

"Th-They're here," he wheezed, bending double from the strenuous activity. Stoick strode around the large firepit and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay here and catch you breath, son. I'll take the message to the docks myself," he said, a fire and determination that overrode any of Fishleg's urges to respond with a negative and that he already had his second wind and could deliver the message himself. The younger man nodded and collapsed on a bench, the strain of the day and his job having worn on him.

Stoick exited the Hall and moved with purpose toward the docks. Once he reached the forces there, he whispered to Gobber, who had been there since the afternoon fixing and setting up barriers, Fishleg's message.

"They've arrived," he said quickly, resting a hand on the blond man's shoulder. He turned and nodded, a certain fearful determination in his eyes. Gobber tapped the arm of the next person who turned to see both him and the chief and whispered the message to him.

"Pass it on," he added at the end and the other man nodded.

Soon a buzz was going through the crowd of gathered warriors, though all were silent. Each of them waited, listening closely for any noise.

Then a war cry went up from a long way down the docks and a glow appeared above the nearest blockade. It grew brighter and brighter until finally a massive ball of fire screamed above their heads, landing on a roof and instantly setting it ablaze. More followed its path, hitting the ground and other buildings.

"All members of the fire brigade, get to work!" Stoick shouted, and about 15 men and women, including Astrid, Snotlout, and the Thorston twins darted away to the wells to put the fires out.

Things only got worse when the last part of the dock they were standing on where it connected to the island shook violently and the war cries got closer. Stoick swallowed and looked around. He saw the same fear in every set of eyes, but in every face, every jaw, every stance, he saw fire and determination. His people would not let Berk fall without a fight.

The dock continued to shake even more violently, but the wood was strong. It would not break. Something slammed into the barrier in front of them and everyone backed up to avoid it in the event that it fell.

It did.

Instantly, Outcasts poured through the now open entrance to the village, weapons raised to attack. The Berkian forces raised their own weapons and began to scream their own war cry, led by Stoick deep into the fray.

Meanwhile, the fire brigade had its hands full keeping the flames from licking up every last house in the village. Astrid did her best, trying to ignore her shaking hands and aching arms. She managed to put out a ground fire easily with one bucketful of water. Taking a moment to smile at her accomplishment, she turned around just in time to see the last barrier fall and what appeared to be the entire tribe of Outcasts charge towards her village's warriors. Stoick and the others surged towards them, weapons raised.

Dropping her bucket, she reached to her back and pulled off her war axe, which still had yet to be repaired by Gobber, and rushed to join the battle, glad that most of the fires had been put out.

"THEY'VE BROKEN THROUGH!" She shouted to her friends who all looked up and followed her shortly thereafter. Screaming her battle cry, she began to push back stragglers who had managed to break through the initial scrimmage.

She did her best, but she could only block so many blows at a time, and they were being driven back into the village and scattered by the Outcasts.

Then the rival tribe broke off and began to wreak havoc in the town. Some were pillaging, others were still engaged in the attack, while others looked to cause harm to anyone outside their homes or the Great Hall.

It was then that she noticed a group of three younger children huddling together at the door of a house that's roof was one of the few still ablaze. Her eyes widened when she saw that they were cornered by a large hunched over Outcast with an axe in his hands, fully intending to use it on them.

She charged across the square, dodging attacks and other parties still locked in combat. She skidded to a halt in front of the children, holding her arm out to the side protectively.

"Stay behind me," she told them firmly, eyes never leaving the burly confused warrior in front of her. In her other hand, she shifted her grip on her own battle axe. She could take this man.

Then the Outcast laughed, actually threw his head back and laughed. Guffawed even.

"You actually think you can take me wi' that thing? It ain't got no head!" He chuckled. Astrid's eyes darted to her axe. It was true, the blade had fallen off in the skirmish. She gulped, but continued to hold it up. She had been trained with the staff early on, well, a spear more specifically, but they worked on the same principle. She gritted her teeth and prepared to fight as the man drew closer.

Then, a scream pierced through the night air, silencing everyone. It was unearthly, terrifying and heart-stopping all in one moment. A purple flash ignited below the docks and there was an explosion, followed by more all-too-human shrieks of pain and fear.

 _It was back._

 _The Night Fury._

Around midnight, Hiccup had gotten up, moved over to the packs and removed his weaponry, attaching every scabbard, sword, dart, and dagger to his person. Once all was in place, he put his mask back on his visage and then looked to Toothless to see if the dragon was ready. A snort and shake of the head was all the confirmation he needed. Toothless was indeed prepared to do this. Hiccup could count on his help.

The two made their way through the forest again, this time at a more comfortable rate of speed as there were no indications that a battle had started, and reached the same cliff they had watched over the village from the previous night. They remained concealed in the abundant shadows, even though there were very few people in the square, most of them consolidated at the docks or in the Great Hall.

He waited for more than an hour, watching the sturdy figure of Fishlegs run back and forth from the watchtower to the Hall, delivering messages, until he didn't come back out. Moments after what he would have deemed too long not to be suspicious, a different figure exited the building in the side of the mountain.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. He would recognize that build and frame anywhere. It was his father, no doubt about it. He lumbered over to the docks and disappeared from his son's sight. Hiccup sighed in annoyance, preparing to leave. The attack might not even come that night.

Still, the Outcasts were there. He had seen the remainders of their approach when he had arrived. Frowning beneath his hood, he waited and tried not to fidget.

The last dregs of his patience were rewarded with the sight of a fireball, glowing bright as the sun, careening over the blockade and landing on a nearby roof. His eyes widened in a mix of horror and interest. They planned to attack the city before their men were even there.

Three more followed immediately and began to set the rest of the village on fire. He heard his father shout for the fire brigade to set to work, diminishing about a third of the gathered forces. Hiccup could tell already that it was a fool's move in retrospect, but they didn't have much choice. It was either a strong defense or the town would burn.

Not long after, Hiccup saw what he could only assume was the last of many barriers fall over, unleashing a tide of screaming warriors into the village. Berk's finest met them with the same degree of fervor and a battle began.

The fire brigade, whose number included many of those he knew, had begun to regroup and begin fighting back with the others, leaving a few small but growing fires left to burn. It wouldn't have been altogether too bad if the catapults had stopped their assault.

Every couple minutes a fresh hail of comets would light the sky and set alight even more of the town. Not long after, the Outcasts scattered, abandoning fights and running off into the village to plunder it. A shot of flame from a catapult fell directly in front of them, hitting something below and catching it on fire as well as blinding him.

Hiccup caught sight of Astrid in the middle of the fray, doing her best to cut back as many of the attackers as she could, which wasn't many. She spotted something below the cliff he was situated on and he followed her line of sight to a house, roof ablaze, and a group of three children in front of it, cornered by an Outcast marauder.

He couldn't wait any longer. There were innocent children about to be slain or seriously hurt. He got up and turned to Toothless, who looked at him, pupils slit and a burning readiness evident in his posture, and growled.

"You got it," Hiccup replied, aware of what needed to be done. He raced around to Toothless's tail, checking the now black leather tailfin, the gold Draconian emblem glinting in the firelight. "You find the catapults and take 'em out. I've got the Outcasts," he said, running back up to his friend's side and throwing a switch that gave the Night Fury automatic control. Toothless barked and nodded, shaking his wings out and preparing to take to the night skies.

"Oh, and Tooth?" Hiccup called, stopping him just short of take-off. The dragon grunted. "Try to make them as terrified as possible," he smirked. The dragon returned the look with one that assured him it would be his pleasure, then shot upwards and away.

Hiccup watched for a moment before walking to the edge of the cliff and dropping down onto the roof below. His clothes were relatively fire resistant, but he was still careful to dodge the hole where the fireball had fallen through.

Then, Toothless's shriek pierced through the air and the sounds of fighting, drawing every ounce of attention. A purple-blue flash lit the sky and the air resounded with screams of pain and terror. The dragon had done his job well.

Hiccup took the opportunity to make himself known. He stepped carefully to the peak of the house, the flames behind him casting a shadow to conceal details of his form.

Apparently someone in the village was paying attention, as someone shouted, "ASTRID, ABOVE YOU!" And everyone looked up at him. He swore once more before launching himself off the roof and into action, pulling his swords from his back and winding an arm back to drive it into the nearest opponent.

"ASTRID, ABOVE YOU!" Came a frantic shout from somewhere among her fellow people. She craned her neck back so fast she feared she would snap it to see a figure standing on the edge of the roof above. She turned better to see it, but the movement was unnecessary as it had already leapt from its perch to the ground.

Or the closest thing to the ground, as it landed squarely on the Outcast warrior's chest. There was a sickening noise as the man fell to the ground and the figure withdrew a pair of dull yet shiney objects - swords - from his chest cavity with a sickening _snickt_. He spun them once in his hands as another warrior charged him.

Watching his back, Astrid recognized the figure. _The Vættr!_

The figure dodged and fought back, their weapons clanging against one another as the rest of the battle raged around them. Astrid lost sight of him in the heat of the fight, most of the Outcast warriors having swarmed him so as to aid their comrade.

Before long, most were either dead or had fled in terror, affording Astrid with a closer look at their savior. He was tall, breathing hard, and still stood ready to withstand another attack. Astrid hesitated. She wasn't certain whether or not she should engage him or not. He had just made short work of about forty Outcast soldiers, giving her the impression that approaching him with her axe raised would end badly for her and anyone else who attempted it.

The entire sword glittered in the moonlight, the metal almost luminescent. It didn't even have the usual wrappings of leather around the hilt for grip, rather his hold was assured by the dark coverings over his hands. He twirled the swords in a somewhat showy arc, almost smugly, as though he were asking for his next opponent.

Astrid heard faint yet awed murmurings from the children behind her. She turned to the eldest of them. "Gustave, I won't ask what the four of you are doing out during a raid, but get those three back to the Great Hall NOW!" She ordered. The 14 year old nodded and gave her a brief salute before ushering the trio of toddlers, whispering exclamations about their rescuer, back to the warmed haven that was the Hall.

Astrid turned her head back to the man to see that he had disappeared. Unfamiliar shouts of terror suggested to her that he had simply moved to a different part of the village. She flinched and ducked reflexively at the sound of another higher pitched shriek above the chaos. The Night Fury was still diving and firing upon the catapults.

She was unsure whether or not she ought to be grateful. It hadn't attacked any of their towers or catapults as of yet, so she could presume that, at the moment at least, the unseen dragon was not their enemy. She could only hope it would stay that way.

She was preparing to engage another Outcast as best as she could when an almighty roar erupted from the docks.

"WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS OUTRAGE?" A voice that Astrid knew belonged to Alvin the Treacherous shouted. She snorted. He made it sound as though Berk was his island and her tribe was the one intruding. The unearthly screams and flashes of purple-blue light had stopped, so she could assume that the dragon had finished its work, again at least for the moment.

She turned back to face him, readily raising her war axe in preparation to charge. She would take him on. He had been a menace to her village since before she was born, causing pain and destruction ever since she could remember, nearly as bad as the dragons.

However, just before she had the chance, something dropped out of the sky above the village in a blur of shadow and silver. Alvin looked shocked at the sight awaiting him in the square.

"YOU!" He shouted, "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT COMMANDS THAT DEMON, AREN'T YOU?! YOU'VE KILLED MY MEN, NOW I WILL KILL YOU!" Astrid almost wanted to stop him, knowing what fate was waiting for him.

The tall shadow-enshrouded figure again twirled the twin swords, baiting the larger Viking. Alvin lifted his own sword, a traditional broadsword, from his back and ran at the smaller-by-comparison figure.

Astrid watched Alvin's screaming figure bear down on the other calm one. Then, with the same inhuman speed that he had evaded her, the shadow slipped deftly to the side, avoiding Alvin's charge without a scratch.

His dodge, however, angered Alvin even further. The Outcast chief growled and then howled as he again lunged for his opponent. Unfortunately, his rage blinded him and he quickly found himself on the receiving end of the other man's blade.

It had sliced easily through the skin at his elbow, causing a small arc of blood as Alvin cried out and dropped his sword.

Still, the figure was not finished. He spun gracefully, remaining in motion even after his opponent's weapon had been dropped. Not wasting the moment of weakness, he completed the motion with another swing of his right sword, slashing at the backs of Alvin's knees.

Another scream of pain and the larger figure's legs buckled and he dropped to the ground. The hooded figure stepped in front of Alvin, holding both his blades at the fallen Viking's chest. He stood there, as though debating what to do, then he spoke something quietly to Alvin, before straightening his back even more.

Alvin laughed, despite his situation, he laughed! Astrid's eyes were wide at the sight and she oddly felt an unsettling feeling grip her chest. She took a step closer to hear Alvin spout, "You!" And then the figure drove his swords forward with all the speed of a viper and crouched down. Astrid was close enough to hear the words spoken.

" _Lotesse lle utua seere e' oira kaima_ ," the figure whispered before withdrawing the swords and stepping out of the way as Alvin's body went limp and he fell forward. Astrid watched, disbelief and shock on her face. Only Stoick and a few others had been able to ever best Alvin in single combat before, and even then it took time. As one could have easily surmised, none had ever managed to finish him until now.

Astrid could only stare, her body frozen in place, broken axe in hand, feet locked in position to run but not moving. The figure returned his blades back to their place on his back and lifted his hand to where she supposed his mouth would be, the facial feature concealed by darkness.

He gave a long reverberating call, mimicking the hoarse cry of the Night Fury. A reply sounded not far off, and the character lowered his hand and stood alone, waiting. It was then that his gaze lit on Astrid. His head turned to see her full on, giving her another glimpse at him. She couldn't see much under the shadows cast by the hood, but the remaining firelight revealed a forehead and two sparkling eyes.

Even though he stood there, so still and tranquil, belying the ferocity of the scene that had unfolded in front of her moments ago, she could sense that the embers burning in his gaze were not reflections of the world in front of him. She saw the wildness behind them, and the dangerousness caused by that wildness.

She no longer saw a spirit or creature. He was indeed only a man, but a deadly man all the same. Warily, she tightened her hold on the hilt of her axe, grateful for any protection it could grant her, which wasn't very much.

The moment was over as soon as it started as the figure seemed to lose interest in her and his head snapped away in a different direction as Vikings began to surround the square. In the course of moments, Outcast warriors had swept through, snatched up their leader's corpse and fled to the docks, realizing their defeat. Meanwhile, Berkian vikings were attempting to surround the stranger, though they merely succeeded in cornering him at the edge of a cliff, weapons drawn but not poised to strike.

Astrid pushed her way to the front of the crowd, watching the still-calm outsider back up the few remaining steps until his heels rocked on the edge. She looked to the side as a haggard looking Stoick likewise shoved his way to the front of the crowd and met eyes with the stranger himself. Astrid noted that the embers turned to flames at the sight of the chief, the man's eyes blazing. Stoick took another step forward, separating from the gathered crowd.

"Who are you?" He inquired, much like Astrid had earlier, "and why did you attack our enemy?" The man slid his foot back in tandem with the chief's movements, prompting the wider man to stop and hold his hands up in a placating gesture.

" _Amin caela n'uma essa e' lle elee_ ," the man hissed through his mask, the words indiscernible, having been spoken in a completely different language than Norse. Stoick began to take another step forward, but the tall stranger straightened out of the fighting hunch he had been in and spread his arms out to his sides. Astrid's eyes widened as his closed and he dropped backwards off the cliff.

She and the chief both darted forward, watching as the body twisted in midair and then disappeared in another blur of shadow, evaporating into the night as quickly as it had come.

Translations:

 _Lotesse lle utua seere e' oira kaima:_ May you find peace in eternal sleep

 _Amin caela n'uma essa e' lle elee_ : I have no name in your eyes

 **A/N: Aaaaaaand to top it all off, the language of Draconia is elvish apparently. As I said, this story is way beyond true Earth canon, we have delved deep into the fanon-verse that is my brain. Please follow me, stay close to the candles (ze stairway can be treacherous), and try not to get lost. *coughs* welp. If any of you got that little reference and can tell me where it's from, it'll be free internet imagine cookies for everyone! Hope the fight scene wasn't too blaugh... lemme know whatcha thought there! Also, in case my absence didn't give it away, I'm not certain that I'll be able to maintain the fast updates, but I will do the best I can not to leave this story behind! Thank you all so much for reading and for your kind reviews on past chapters, they really do mean a lot to me!**

 **-IMSP, out!**


	7. Chapter 5 -- Friends, Feelings, and Fear

**A/N:** WHy hello again! I have returned to give you a, well, a filler chapter. This one is sort of short and doesn't really cover much, but some new characters are present and you guys get to meet the group's dragons. I'll post some links to the pictures a few of them are based off of at the end. Hope you guys like this.

Plus! I did a random P.O.V switch and quasi-soliloquy about halfway thru.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise (much as I might want to), this is purely for fun, all OCs (there are a crap ton of them in this chapter) belong to me.

Anyway, on with the story!

~oOo~ (let's hope the line breaks work this time)

 **Chapter 5 - Friends, Feelings, and Fears**

Hiccup circled the island for a short time before returning to the cove. He needed to feel the cool air of the higher atmosphere on his face to clear his mind. As soon as he was out of sight of the village and the smell of smoke had diminished to the point where he could only smell it on his clothes, he tore his mask off and gasped for breath.

The cloth did nothing to restrict his breathing, rather it helped in the higher air, but he needed the cool, refreshing oxygen to be found there. The buildup of carbon dioxide made his face warm and sticky, and he didn't wish for that discomfort.

Toothless purred an inquiry at his rider from below him, jostling his boot with the elbow of his front paw. Hiccup looked down to see that his friend had turned an eye back to look at him.

"I'm fine, bud. Just a little shaken is all," he replied giving his dragon a hopefully convincing smile. Hiccup was unsure if dragons could deadpan, but Toothless was looking at him in such a way that made him believe it was possible. He grimaced. "That obvious, huh?" He asked. The dragon turned back to look at where he was flying and snorted.

Hiccup sighed, looking out at the starry sky, not yet illuminated by the norther lights as winter had yet to arrive. The thoughts of the coming season were enough to draw his attention away from thoughts of a certain blonde viking female and a rather burly old man whose auburn hair had grayed in the last ten years. He would need a permanent camp, one that could offer protection from the elements that would be harassing him during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring. The hollow of a tree trunk wouldn't always be enough.

Toothless made to make a turn, jolting Hiccup from his thoughts and allowing him to focus on closing the tail slightly so his friend could gently bank and dive toward the cove. It was likely the Night Fury was hungry and thirsty as well as in need of rest, as was the warrior riding him.

The events of the day and evening had tired him out. He had run full tilt through the woods, twice, and then fought with upwards of fifty Outcast warriors. Granted, he had been trained to engage and defeat upwards of five _hundred_ warriors, but vikings are roughly the size of brick walls, and the width of a small dam, so all in all, not a bad day.

To top it off, he had eradicated Alvin the Treacherous, one of the tribe's most feared enemies. At first he hadn't intended to bring the man down, but it became unavoidable as the older, larger man had made it a fight to the death, ending in his own demise. Hiccup could only hope it drove the Outcasts from Berk long enough for him to likewise eradicate their problem with the dragons.

Toothless landed and Hiccup hopped off, letting his friend meander off to the lake to take a drink. The human for his part trudged back to their tree home and curled up inside, batting away any and all memories for the time being so he could achieve a peaceful night's sleep. He didn't need ghosts from the past haunting his dreams.

Nonetheless, his sleep was fitful at best until the early hours of dawn.

~oOo~

Stoick sat alone in his empty house, in the straight-backed wooden chair by the fire, just staring into the flames.

 _Alone._ His _empty_ house. Ten years ago, he wouldn't have minded those words, five years even. But now, after so long a time, reality had set in on the aging viking.

Ten years ago, he would have done the exact same thing, however the routine had changed since his son had left him. Previously he would have waited for the runt of a boy to return to the house, and then he would listen for his footsteps on the stairs, letting him ascend the steps without a word. When he was younger, he might have asked the boy if he had been hurt and tended to him if he confirmed that he had, but as both had gotten older and drifted apart, less and less was said between them.

Five years ago, he had relished the feeling of not needing to listen for those footsteps on the stairs, not having to worry about a social outcast son who couldn't take care of himself. He hadn't let himself care. Stubbornly, he had continued to believe that his boy was a traitor and a liar to their tribe, hardly giving his memories of better, happier years the time of day.

No, it wasn't until now that he found himself feeling that something was missing. Perhaps it was because a lack of dragon raids had allowed him more time to himself, molding him into a somewhat more introspective person. His interchangeable early morning or late night musings often led him to the conclusion that it was his son he missed. Those footsteps on the stairs, the thoughts of worry for his closest kin, the warmth of times past when he didn't sit alone beside the hearth, staring into the fire. Long ago, he would have sat in the same position, but with a baby on his chest, a toddler or small boy on his knee playing with some toy or another while prattling on to his father, using words he had just learned so excitedly and proud.

He knew he had gone wrong, but what had fully brought it about? Had their relationship been destined to fail as soon as Hiccup's mother had been dragged off into the sky by that great four-winged demon? Had it been because of his temper? Because he hadn't hidden his disappointment as well as he should have?

No. Hiccup had always been a perceptive child. He would have seen right through his father's guise, and he would have resented it. Stoick knew there was a great deal he had wanted in his son, but he never would have wanted the boy to have grown up hateful.

Regardless of what had ever happened to him, Hiccup had usually managed to find some way to smile. Sarcastic or not, there was a grin on his features at least once a day.

And Stoick missed it. He missed the sarcasm, the quick-witted humor that so reminded him of his wife.

He sighed heavily. He would never be able to have it back. His son was gone, flown off with a dragon, a Night Fury no less, and disappeared. Not to mention that he had banished him just before he had dipped behind a cloud out of sight.

Stoick had been angry then, but ten years worth of cooling off had left him with plenty of time to think on his actions. If he had been able to see past his own rage and hubris, he might have listened to Hiccup. The boy had presented a potential solution to their problems, but he had ignored him. Just like he had in every other aspect of their relationship.

Some mighty viking he was. Stoick closed his eyes, tilting his head forward to rest his chin on his chest.

 _If I had the chance to change it all, would I take it?_

~oOo~

Hiccup was jolted out of his dream-filled sleep by water being thrown on his face. He spluttered and sat bolt upright, trying to expel the liquid from his sinuses and lungs. After the initial shock, laughter reached his ears and he opened his eyes, swiping at them to clear the tears and water away.

Crouching around him were all four human members of his squadron. He released a relieved sigh and dropped back down onto the ground, his second wind returning to him after his brief panic.

"Oh, it's you," he sighed, throwing a semi-wet arm over his eyes, fingers connecting with someone's boot.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, mi amici," Valentino snarked from the side, though Hiccup knew he was grinning. A punch to his shoulder told him Jaeger was there, making his presence known.

"He's right! I fly for two weeks straight with these jokers and I don't even get a 'hi, how've ya been since I saw ya last?" He griped, causing Hiccup to laugh. He lifted his arm from his face and smiled up at them, Isra and Felicia chuckling and rolling their eyes at their friends and brothers.

Sitting up again, Hiccup looked from one tattooed face to another, checking for any differences, especially Jaeger's. The older man had been gone for several weeks on a patrol mission searching out other Titan Wings and Hiccup hadn't had the chance to say goodbye.

Besides, Jaeger was the closest thing he had had to a brother since his joining the Dragon Corps. They had been friends since before he had even arrived on Draconia, Jaeger having been the one to lead him to the White City.

He was glad to see he remained unchanged and unscarred in newer ways than before. His dirty blonde hair was still pulled back into a wolf tail and his lopsided smile was still as it had been the day he had last seen it.

His friends got to their feet and helped him up as they all moved out into the sunlight. The five dragons were chattering and playing amongst themselves, reacquainting themselves with one another. Hiccup could see that Toothless was thrilled to be with his friends once again, needing dragon companionship on occasion as well.

Isra's sea dragon, Ecthelion, was resting in the shallows of the lake, her overlapping blue scales shimmering in the sun and reflecting the light from water.

Fuoco and Fiamma, the two firestorm-red Euro dragons, chased one another and harassed the other three playfully, blowing small streams of fire at one another, much to their rider's chagrin as it often led to their not having enough fire power during fights.

Jaeger's dragon, a Stormcutter by the name of Caelestis, sat having a seemingly colloquial conversation with Toothless, who was as much his brother as Hiccup was to Jaeger.

The latter laughed at the five creatures and put his hands on his hips. "Ah, it's good to see you both again," he said, a half smile still on his face. Hiccup grinned. He couldn't help but agree with his sort-of-brother. Jaeger tilted his head back and looked around.

"It's so beautiful here. Much nicer than the Siberian wastes. So peaceful," he posited, not really speaking to anyone, though addressing them all.

"Yeah, and warmer," both twins chimed in, rubbing their arms.

Isra merely stood, examining her fingernails, her white tattoos almost glowing in the afternoon sun. "Mm. Though we won't be having cover from snowstorms anytime soon."

"Don't be so sure about that," Hiccup crossed his arms, "you might even _wish_ you were in the Siberian wastes when winter rolls around in a couple months."

The twins groaned.

Jaeger laughed out loud good naturedly. When he had regained his composure, he turned to his best friend. "So. The princess informed us that you had a very important mission out here. Said you would give us the details." He looked at him expectantly.

"I'll tell you guys over dinner. Right now, we need to catch some fish. Toothless ate all of our food," he said, his Night Fury growl-roaring indignantly. "Alright fine, I had three," his rider laughed before moving toward the lake.

An hour and a half later, the dragons were feasting on two massive piles of sea and lake fish, thanks to Toothless and Ecthelion. The riders were seated around a small fire, eating their cooked bounty and trying to keep large wafts of smoke from rising.

"So what's the situation out here, Tannalus," Felicia inquired, picking a bit of the cod she was eating off of the skewer and popping it in her mouth. Hiccup set his own skewer down on his knee.

"Alright, from what Princess Maeri told me, three days before I departed, a new squadron patrolling Titan Wing island was outright attacked by an escaping Titan Wing. It decimated the squadron, only one of them being able to get away.

"When he returned, there wasn't much information he could give that was understandable. All they knew was that a Great Northern Queen had broken through the perimeter and made a mad dash out of the island airspace. There were no other nearby patrols to chase after her, so there wasn't anything anyone else could do.

"Seeing as I'm the only rider who knows the entire way back to the nesting grounds of the Great Northern Queens, Maeri sent me," he finished, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin atop them. He looked around the fire, gauging his friend's reactions.

Jaeger was staring deep into the flames, his face pensive. The twins looked worried, and Isra was scraping the last bits of fish meat from her skewer with her fingernail, observing her work thoughtfully.

All was silent for a time until Jaeger spoke up. "You've been here a few weeks now, Tann; do you have any observations to share?" He inquired. Hiccup got to his feet and moved over to where his things were stacked. Carefully he removed a hard leather cylinder with a shoulder strap and carried it back to the group, unscrewing the top and sliding the paper contents out.

He unrolled the yellow parchment to reveal a heavily detailed map of the world. He'd bought it years ago in a market during his early travels with Toothless before they had discovered the Dragon Riders. Recently, he had marked it up with ink to display where he had followed the dragons. He pointed his index finger at the first island he had witnessed a dragon raid.

"Here," he began, "is where I started. I then tracked them here, here, here, and here." He dragged his finger across the paper, following the lines, to illustrate his journey. The team had all crowded around and their heads bent in a circle above the map.

"Recently, they've been attacking Berk specifically, as they have had a plentiful food supply, but they won't for much longer. The horde raided the night before last, and, based off of what I've seen, they attack once every three nights, so we have tonight and tomorrow to plan.

"I thought we could follow them back to the nest and get an idea of what we're up against," he offered. Isra crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you go in already?" She inquired, the serious side of her personality taking over for the time being. Hiccup grimaced.

"This dragon, whatever type it is, is a Titan Wing. She took out an entire squadron of Black Guard riders, killing most of them, and the only survivor will likely never fly beyond the island again, if they ever get back in the air. I may be one of Maeri's most trusted warriors, but I'm not going in there alone. It's suicide," he explained. His teammate's face softened and she nodded. If Isra had a fault, it was that she would get so focused on a mission that she would personally take offense if someone didn't do their part.

"So it's settled then. We'll follow the horde back to their lair and then decide what to do from there," Jaeger said, straightening up and crossing his hands behind his head to stretch. Hiccup nodded and the group semi-dispersed to give him room to roll the map back up and return it to the container.

Once he had tossed it back to the pile, an arm locked around his neck and shoulders as Jaeger yanked him to his side, the younger man laughing at him. "And now my friends, let us regale each other with tales of our adventures in the time we have been apart!" He said, moving back to the fire. Everyone laughed then and followed after him.

They stayed up late into the night, long after the stars had appeared overhead. The twins wove exaggerated tales of their mischief and travels. Isra told of her experiences roaming the streets of Morocco in her job as the Crown's Assassin. Jaeger detailed his many battles with the great serpentine dragons of the Eastern Mainlands and nights spent camping in the cold wastes of the Siberia, his usual destinations.

In all that time, Hiccup was content to lean back and lounge on his side, listening to his friends and smiling and laughing at their words. Deep down, thoughts of his next inevitable confrontation with those he once called his people still plagued his mind; keeping his up until long after his friends had gone to sleep and the last embers of the fire had turned to ash in the dirt.

 **A/N:** Well, yet another exciting chapter over and done with. *coughs* sorta boring *coughs* Anyway, just wanted to quick say here that the common language they are speaking is Draconian, so when it's just them I won't make anything different. When they are talking with other people around, their script will be in _italics_ with quotation marks around it (thoughts don't have those in my book) and when other people hear them speaking, their words are in written Elvish. Boom. Second, Hiccup - because of my stupid celebrity crush - will now be based off of Lee Pace for no apparent reason. *coughs again* *imagines a 6'4" Hiccup* *dies*

Nevermind that. Lastly, just wanted to ask: how many of you guys think this should stay a Hiccstrid fic or change so Hiccup gets shipped with Princess Maeri and Astrid is just sort of there? Lemme know in the reviews or any you might have for me! I'll cya next time!

IMSP, out! *finger guns and pew pew noises while exiting stage right*

P.S: Here's the links:

Imagine a smaller version of this for Ecthelion: .

Here are Fuoco and Fiamma (they are twin dragons and slightly less terrifying) :

All you need to know about Caelestis is that his scales are more of an ashy-brown and the reds and blues of his markings are darker, all in all he isn't as showy as Cloudjumper.

Toothless is Toothless.


	8. Chapter 6 -- Chasing Shadows

**A/N: Hi again! How are you guys all doing? I'm sorry that this chapter took a long time to write. School has been pretty hectic with testing and EOC prep and all that great stuff, plus a few other things :P. Anyway, here's yet another filler chapter (the amount of which I have been writing is beginning to annoy me). Still, all is not for naught, there will be some important information in here, somewhere. Hopefully. T_T Welp. Hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think! The reviews for last chapter were INCREDIBLE! Also: vote results at bottom!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me, thanks!**

 **Chapter 6 - Chasing Shadows**

"So what's our inventory looking like?" Hiccup asked while strapping on each of his more than 15 knife sheaths and scabbards. Isra glanced at him from where she was taking stock of their supplies a few feet away before returning her eyes to the stack of bags and satchels. She scanned them for a moment before selecting one and opening the flap.

"We've got at least one spare blade for each of us, fifteen daggers and short swords, and twenty extra throwing knives. We also brought these," she replied, digging her hand into the bag. She removed a small cylindrical cartridge and a couple small metal spheres, tossing them at him. He caught them and rolled the balls in his hand, his eyebrow rising.

"The dragon whispers?" He inquired, meeting her eyes again. She shrugged.

"Not my idea, but Valentino hasn't had a chance to use them yet and he wouldn't leave without us packing a few. Besides, you said the horde attacks the village pretty frequently, maybe they might come in handy," she mused, returning the satchel to where she had gotten it from. Hiccup nodded at her words and turned away, stuffing the emitters into a pouch and attaching the fire cartridge to his belt.

It would fit in the hilt of his sword and, upon activation, release a flammable gas that would set his blade alight, distracting some dragons and ingratiating him with others. The "dragon whispers" emitted a frequency too high-pitched for humans to hear, or be affected by, but the dragons understood it to be an Alpha call and would swarm to it. Like his friend, Hiccup had never used one before, so he wasn't sure it would end up "coming in handy."

He tipped his head back to see the sky darkening above the treeline and his brow creased in worry. At this point they had tops four hours before the horde arrived. He rubbed his fingers together nervously and exhaled an anxious sigh through his nose before a shadow passed over him and a wind whipped through his hair as Caelestis came in for a landing. Two of the four powerful wings folded in so he could support himself on the ground.

Jaeger stood on his back, throwing his hood back and removing the breather mask from his face. Hiccup stepped over as he slid down his dragon's neck, the Stormcutter shaking its head and wandering off to mingle with Toothless and the other dragons.

"Anything heading our way yet?" Hiccup inquired, to which he received a negative shake of his friend's head.

"Nope. So far, so good. I think it's safe to say that they won't be showing up until late tonight," he replied, stretching his back and rolling his neck. Hiccup nodded and looked to Toothless.

"Well, I'm gonna head off to the village. I'll feel a lot better staying out of the raid if I know that it won't be burnt to a crisp the first time a Monstrous Nightmare sets itself on fire," he stated grimly, turning to Toothless. "Hey, Tooth, you ready?" He called. The Night Fury's head shot up, visible over the back of Ecthelion as the blue dragon splashed him with water from the lake.

The darker dragon snorted and then leapt over his friend, charging toward his rider with a goofy attempt at a grin. He bumped his side with his snout and rumbled his affirmative. Hiccup smiled and laughed. "Alright bud, let's go!" He said, playfully smacking his mount's nose and darting around the lake to the entrance and vaulting over it once again.

Reaching the upper lip of the cove, he waited for Toothless to launch himself into the air over the edge. When the dark blur finally landed with an excited whoop of a roar, Hiccup had to laugh again, still he reached to his friend's face and held it in his hands for a moment.

"I know you're excited, but we need to keep it down from here on out. Don't want those barbaric idiots finding out about us just yet," he told the creature, receiving a sneeze in agreement. Grinning, he took off into the forest, his giant second-shadow following close behind him.

He moved with an almost unseemly grace and ease with minimal noise, darting between the trees and bouncing off of them like a grasshopper. His speed and silence were largely due to his lack of weapons, but then again, even his swords were light enough not to cause much of a commotion.

Once again he reached the edge of the forest, having roughly memorized it over the last few days. This time, however, he didn't leave the treeline. Instead, he held a hand up to stop Toothless, who enacted the command immediately and skidded to a stop behind him, and began to climb one of the nearest trees while his dragon kept watch down below.

Pulling himself to the highest branch he could without revealing himself, he pushed aside a few of the plentiful pine needles and peered out at the village below. The vikings were hard at work, carrying lumber and provisions from place to place, fixing houses and moving food to the Great Hall.

He frowned, the sight making him realize that the situation had become as dire as a winter storm; the only time when Vikings would assent to letting animals and preserved fish share a closed space with them. Normally they tended to wrinkle their noses at it, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and even they knew that.

His eyes, trained for years to see things as well as one of the many raptor birds that flocked around the Dragon City, spotted a particular figure striding through town, repaired war axe in hand.

He crouched on that branch, watching Astrid as she moved purposefully through town and up the hillside steps to the chieftain's home. Her knock was so loud on the wooden door that he could hear it clearly from his position. A moment later, Stoick appeared in the door and they spoke for a few moments, ending with Astrid nodding and heading for the forest. In his direction.

Hiccup's eyes widened and darted to Toothless who was pacing below the tree. "Psst!" He hissed down at the dragon, who heard him immediately and turned his head up. Hiccup gestured to where Astrid was walking and the Night Fury followed with his eyes. He made a quiet keening sound before snapping up at Hiccup. The rider nodded and made another gesture for him to take off back to the Cove.

Toothless deliberated for a moment more, anxiously pawing at the ground and swishing his tail back and forth before a twig snapped nearby and he scampered off into the brush.

Then, not two seconds later, a blonde head appeared beneath him. Hiccup swallowed quietly. He had to lead her away, but it wasn't nearly dark enough for him to attempt flying away on his friend.

"Could have sworn I heard something," she muttered to herself, unaware that she was being watched. Or at least, he thought she was unaware. She began to look around and shift uncomfortably before she shook it off and moved off further into the trees. In the direction of the Cove.

Hiccup launched himself from the branch and landed in another crouch. If she heard him not thirty feet behind her, she didn't show it. Still, he ducked low and darted behind more bushes, deciding that he would circle her and make his way back to the Cove. He needed to warn the others and at least get them out of there before she showed up.

~oOo~

Astrid moved up the path slowly, cautiously. She could have sworn she'd seen something over here just before she'd come around the tree, but whatever it had been was gone.

For the last day and night, she could hardly get her mind off the "shadow man" as she had come to call him in her mind. She couldn't shake the idea that she had seen him before, that she had seen those eyes before. She also refused to believe that he was gone, just like that on the back of a Night Fury.

The time she had spent thinking on the matter made her wonder more and more vividly about numerous possibilities of who the character was. He could just be a stranger, a dragon friend passing through. He could be a mercenary or assassin, sent to end the Outcasts, or at least Alvin.

But there was one notion that intrigued her far more than the others. How she had not seen it in that moment confounded her. The green eyes, the Night Fury. Could it be?

Could it be Hiccup?

She found herself going around in circles in her mind over the idea. It was a plausible theory, but there were various indiscrepancies in it. First of all, the Night Fury. The dragon she had seen with Hiccup had been unable to fly on its own for very long, while the one seen attacking Alvin's catapults had kept sustained flight for more than fifteen minutes.

Second, the figure itself. It was tall and strong-looking, at least a full head over Astrid, perhaps more. She remembered Hiccup as being thin as a blade of grass and actually shorter than her, despite being just older by a month or two.

Third, the shadow man was a warrior of the finest, fiercest calibur. She would not wish to meet him in combat, as she would be struck down immediately for certain. Hiccup, on the other hand, had hardly been able to lift a shield, much less an axe or hammer. She had found it almost piteous at the same time she found it irksome.

Nevertheless, she remained determined to at least find the character again, maybe get some answers out of him.

She had just alerted the Chief, telling him that she planned to search the island in case their "savior" had decided to hang around. Other than the questioning, she wasn't certain what she intended to do when she found him.

She glanced around the forest, tilting her head back to scan the branches of the trees above her. They blended together in the late afternoon sun, casting a green glow over everything. She inhaled the air deeply, enjoying the freshness away from the village. Even if she didn't find the strange character, it was still a pleasant way to spend her evening. Much better than stewing on thoughts about coming dragon attacks.

A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around, reaching for her axe out of reflex. She saw nothing, but her eyes still narrowed as adrenaline flooded her system. Adjusting her grip on her weapon, she slowly moved toward the bush before swiping the flat of the blade forward and brushing the shrubbery aside.

Nothing.

She sighed. How could she have expected any more?

Still, that didn't mean he hadn't been there a moment ago. She had seen how fast he could move. Taking a deep breath, she looked both ways, searching for any sign of him. Seeing hardly more than flattened grass in front of her, she walked forward, holding her axe with both hands.

She didn't even notice the shadowy figure retreating deeper into the forest not fifty feet behind her, jumping bushes and dodging branches.

~oOo~

Hiccup ran and refused to stop until he reached the edge of the Cove, sliding down into the entrance, his feet moving of their own instinctual accord to keep him upright. He heard his name get called and then he doubled over, gasping for breath. Toothless's shadow appeared over him, and he felt his dragon's snout as he helped him stay on his feet. More shadows crowded around him and he knew that all his friends had surrounded him.

And odd feeling pierced through his chest at that thought. He had friends now, people who cared about him, not for what he looked like or what he could do, but who he was. He grinned for a moment before his face turned serious for a moment. He had friends and he needed to keep them safe.

He straightened up and dragged in one last deep inhale before beginning. "You all need to get out of here. Astri-one of the vikings is coming this way and she can't know that there's five of us, not just one," she explained breathlessly.

Isra was the first to react, giving him a nod and spinning on her heel before charging off to the bags, grabbing a few and hauling them over to Ecthelion.

"How much time do you think we have?" Jaeger asked as the twins followed Isra at a run. Hiccup watched them for a moment, giving thought to calculations.

"Tops we have ten minutes," he said before he saw Jaeger's look and added, "Yeah, we need to move fast."

"You'd better grab your weapons then. She might want a fight if what you've told me about this particular "viking" is true," his friend replied, fully aware of whom Hiccup spoke.

Hiccup nodded. He hoped Astrid wouldn't try to fight him, but he doubted she would simply stick around just for observation. He darted over to the diminishing pile of gear, Toothless hot on his heels. He removed what he thought he would need. His many knives and daggers, a few little smoke bombs, his darts…

"Swords...swords...Where are my swords?!" He called to no one in particular, glancing around frantically for his two missing weapons which were nowhere to be seen.

"Over here! Tannalus, catch!" He heard Felicia call and he turned to see the two swords, tied together in their scabbards hurtling at his head. He reached up just in time to grab them and slung one of the straps over his shoulder; he would affix it to his person as soon as the others were off.

Used to breaking camp in record time, the humans and dragons were loaded down with their gear in no time. It wasn't until four out of the five riders were seated atop their mounts, ready to take to the skies and disappear at a moment's notice that someone finally asked the important question of the day.

"Hold on, where are we supposed to go?" Valentino questioned, looking to Hiccup who swallowed again and thought for a second. They were running short on time.

"Um...go to the other side of the island! There's a beach there concealed by the cliffs. Jaeger, you probably saw it on your flyover, didn't you?" He inquired. Jaeger shifted in his seat and looked away in thought before a light seemed to turn on in his mind.

"Yes, I remember. I should be able to get us there," he replied, giving his friend and superior a firm nod.

"Good, I'll meet you there as soon as I've dealt with Astrid," Hiccup informed him, "fly high and safely, Jaeger."

"And you as well, brother."

Hiccup gave him another nod, this one slower and more gentle. He knew that Jaeger cared about him as an older brother would, but he knew that he would also follow his lead in matters such as this.

"Just be there," he heard his friend say quietly before wheeling Caelestis around and urging him into the air, the others following suit. Hiccup watched them as they disappeared into the evening sky over the treetops, then he turned to Toothless.

"Okay bud, looks like it's up to us to act natural and keep Astrid off their tails," he said, putting his hands on his hips and meeting his companion's eyes. The dragon purred a reply and bumped him. "Might as well try to get her on our side so she doesn't attack us. Wanna spar?" He inquired. The dragon visibly perked up and jumped in place.

The rider laughed and stepped to the other side of the clearing. He stretched his arms high above his head, listening to the sounds of his joints popping gently. Hiccup remembered his twin sword sheathes, still hanging unevenly from one shoulder, and took a moment to readjust them on his back, making it certain that he looked armed.

A roar of challenge behind him bade him to turn around and slide one of his feet back and lift his hands into a defensive stance. His eyes happened to flicker to the edge of the Cove, catching a flash of dull steel and a shock of blonde hair.

 _She's here_ , he thought as his Night Fury gave his signature attack scream and spread his wings to intimidate and charged him.

 _And here we go._

~oOo~

Astrid's head shot up at the sound of a dragon roaring and she darted through the trees until she came to the edge of a cliff, skidding to a halt just before she fell off. She would have survived the fall, it was barely more than thirty feet, but she likely would have injured her legs and with what was down there, she refused to risk it.

She dropped to the ground, lying on her stomach, and inched as close as she dared, peering into the open area of the cove.

The first thing her eyes saw was the the great black dragon prowling on one side of the lake, shaking its wings out agitatedly. It moved with a catlike grace and fluidity, and the shield maiden had to admit that she was somewhat enraptured by it. The only thing that hinted at it's being domesticated was the fact that it wore a saddle high on its neck and a harness leading to its tailfins.

Then she noticed the other, smaller figure at the other end of the lake, shrugging a pair of saber sheaths onto its back. It was the shadow man, no doubt about it. He moved with all the grace of the Night Fury, just condensed into a human form.

Her eyes were dragged back to the dragon when it unleashed a roar. Astrid felt a spike of fear and adrenaline for a moment until she realized it was directed, not at her, but at the rider.

The man turned and moved into a stance, as though accepting the challenge. The Night Fury spread its wings out to its side, likely attempting to make itself look bigger, and charged the human. Astrid couldn't help it - when the dragon reached the man, she gasped and shut her eyes, only to hear a thump and roar of alarm. Cracking her eyes open, she saw that the man was unharmed and still upright, while the dragon had been flipped onto its back behind him.

The rider laughed and put his hands on his hips for a moment before getting back into his stance as the dragon got back on its feet. She watched as it crouched like a cat for a moment before leaping forward, paws outstretched. The man sidestepped easily and the dragon skidded for a few yards before turning again and charging him again.

The man met him halfway and the two clashed and tumbled due to the Night Fury's greater momentum. For a minute, she was afraid again that the human would be mauled, but then she heard the sound of laughter coming from him. The next thing she saw was the dragon standing to its full height on four legs with its rider sprawled across its neck and back. It gave a shake and the man was thrown, landing on his back while the dragon sat back on its haunches triumphantly.

Astrid could hardly pick her jaw up off the ground. _So he was right_ , she thought, _everything we know about them could be wrong_.

She was debating whether or not she should enter the cove and confront the pair when she realized it was getting much too dark. It would be a trip and a half trying to get back to the village through the woods in the dark, not to mention the nocturnal wild boar were meaner than dragons when it came to attacking humans. She would at least have to tell Stoick about what she had discovered here.

She would also have to tell him what her theory was, and with what she had just witnessed, she was fairly certain it was a theory she could prove now.

~oOo~

Hiccup waited ten minutes after he had seen Astrid get up and leave out of the corner of his eye before he climbed onto Toothless's back and they took to the skies again. From there, it wasn't difficult for him to find the rest of his squadron.

Jaeger had led them to the beach they had discussed and then they had waited for Hiccup to show up. Hence, as soon as he landed, his entire squadron stood up and ran over, anxious to find out what exactly had transpired.

"What did she do? And what did you do? Please tell me you handled it well," Isra questioned, a sarcastic edge entering her voice. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"I don't see why you worry. I was raised by barbarians but I didn't turn out to be one. Give me some slack, Isra," he quipped good naturedly, throwing her a companionable smirk. She crossed her arms, her thunderous gaze never wavering. Finally Hiccup gave in trying to appease the assassin-turned-commander and turned to Jaeger.

"No, surprisingly enough, she didn't want a fight. She was just there to observe, it seems. Though she may have been a little awestruck by our display," he stated, shooting a grin at Toothless.

"Oh by the-what did you do, Tann?" Jaeger asked, the older man supporting his brow with his thumb and forefinger and rubbing his forehead in the places where headaches were most frequent.

"Nothing too serious. Just a mock fight with Toothless, a little wrestling and rough-and-tumble play," Hiccup replied, waving off his friend's concern. "Who knows, maybe she even learned something," he mused, resting a hand on the crown of his dragon's skull.

"I pray what she learned was good, brother. We don't need a fight on two fronts," Jaeger murmured. Hiccup reached forward and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder near the base of his neck.

"I promise you, the situation with the Berkians can't get any worse," he stated. His brother huffed in annoyance and cast him a sidelong look.

"I'll trust you on this, so you'd best be right," he warned. Hiccup smiled in appreciation, knowing that Jaeger would stick with him no matter what.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we should head out. It's nearly night and the dragons will be attacking shortly," Felicia interjected. Her dragon snorted and shook its head, as if emphasizing her point. Hiccup grinned and gave a laugh, releasing Jaeger's shoulder.

"Alright everyone, mount up. It's time we find out what we're up against," the former ordered, stepping back to his dragon and swinging into the saddle.

~oOo~

Not two hours later, the dragons arrived.

They flew without formation, yet completely overwhelming the Berkian forces. The attack was entirely without coordination; it was every dragon for itself it seemed. They would sporadically shift between burning the landscape and stealing food and fighting vikings.

Hiccup frowned as he watched the events unfold below. The dragons were not themselves. They carried themselves with fear, acting like mad dogs when confronted.

They were desperate.

 _The situation is getting worse. We don't have much time left_ , he thought, his eyes flickering from one place to another. They needed to move _now_.

"We need to get them out of here," he posited. His squadron looked to him from where they sat, high on their dragon's necks.

"What do you suggest we do, _Capitano_?" Valentino inquired, the smirk evident in his voice. Hiccup shifted his eyes to his friends before turning them back to the village. He sighed.

"We round them up and scare them enough to send them back," he replied, tilting his head forward just slightly.

"Then let's get to it," Isra stated, shifting in her seat while Ecthelion shook and pawed the ground. All the dragons, in fact, seemed agitated to get into the action.

"Alright, standard formation, then break into perimeter-cyclone. Let's go!" he cried, giving the signal to fly. Toothless leapt forward into a dive off the cliff, the other four dragons following after him and falling into the normal V-formation.

They stayed high, well out of range of the torches that illuminated the sky just above the island. Hiccup shook his right hand in the air, directing his squadron to break off. Seamlessly the four other dragons and riders peeled off, diving into the fray.

Hiccup himself followed quickly after them, swinging Toothless in rough circular patterns around large groups of dragons until they were contained and intimidated. His Night Fury screamed at those who deigned to get close enough to snap at the human in the black dragon's saddle, effectively establishing himself as in charge.

"Alright bud, let's send 'em off," Hiccup said, resting his hand on his friend's head. The dragon snorted in reply before unleashing a furious roar of challenge, something Hiccup had been on the wrong side of once a long, long time ago.

Instantly, the fraction of the horde that they had cornered panicked and began to swarm madly about, scrambling to get away from the island, squawking and biting at one another in their frenzied state.

Looking about himself, the rider could see that his compatriots had managed to do the same with their dragons, herding the wild rogues upward.

The brunt of the attack over, the Black Guard riders raced off in hot pursuit of the horde as every eye of every Berkian watched in amazement.

 **A/N: Well, that went well. So, Astrid's started thinking and she's on the right track. But will Hiccup accept his name, or will he forever renounce the boy he one was? I certainly hope he does the first because I don't want to confuse people by calling him Tannalus all of a sudden. That's just me though.**

 **Anyway.**

 **What you're all reading this for: the ship vote.**

 **Now, I don't want to start a shipping war, but this will be a mainly Hiccstrid fanfiction by the time I am through with it.**

 **From the beginning I had planned to write both a prequel and a sequel.**

 **The prequel would mainly be about how Hiccup became a Black Guard in the first place, all the things he did and had to do in order to get where he is in** ** _The Shadow Rider_** **.**

 **The sequel would take place about a year or so after** ** _The Shadow Rider_** **and it would involve much goings on in the city of Draconia, a festival, an assassination, and a battle. Astrid would be brought there for certain spoilerific reasons, and yeah.**

 **BTW for all those of you who didn't want Hiccstrid, I am going to tell you that their relationship is very cynical from Hiccup's point of view for several chapters, and then things do result in a much patched up friendship. Just sayin.**

 **Again, thank you all for such AWESOME reviews! I had the best week ever checking my mailbox!**

 **I gots to go now! Cya later!**

 **IMSP, OUt! *finger guns***


	9. Chapter 7 -- Fire and Memories

**A/N: Why hellooooo there. Greetings to all you lovely readers out there. I actually managed to post another chapter in relatively good time. What a relief. Not for long, let me tell you. It is, unfortunately, another stupid filler chapter. I am so SICK of writing stinking filler chapters! I WANT TO GET TO THE ACTION! I. AM. BORED. JAWN.**

 **Sorry. Anyway, moving on, I have another little vote for you guys to check out down at the bottom. Just a couple ideas that I was throwing around for the sequel and prequel.**

 **In conclusion, I really hope that this chapter isn't complete crap. I wanted to get past it sooooo bad so I could get to the next chapter where things start to pick up.**

 **ANd last but not least:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me.**

 **Chapter 7 - Fire and Memories**

"Helheim's Gate," Hiccup whispered, eyes wide with awe. _Dad was right!_ He thought as Toothless plunged into the thick fog surrounding the mass of sea stacks and islands, chasing after the whipping tails of the horde.

It had taken a few moments, but eventually the riders had caught up with one another, flying side by side. However, now they broke up to avoid the obstacles that rose out of the ocean in front of them. The fog didn't help matters in the least.

Hiccup's mouth formed a grim line as Toothless dodged out of the way. He was grateful that his dragon had sonar abilities, but the others were likely having some difficulty. Ecthelion had capabilities was similar to Toothless, but Caelestis, Fuoco, and Fiamma did not share the trait.

He swerved the Night Fury off to the side where he saw the two red Euro dragons squawking and dodging left and right in a panic, Valentino and Felicia in no better state. He got in between them, Toothless roaring to get the dragon's attention.

"Follow us," he said, wheeling Toothless around again and heading off in the other direction.

They caught up to Jaeger and Isra a few moments later, the twins navigating the labyrinth much better now that they had someone to follow.

Hiccup noticed his dragon's ear flaps. They shuddered and twitched, almost uncontrollably, the same with the sonar flaps on the sides of his head. _We're getting close_ , he thought, resting a hand on one ear and smoothing it down. Instantly, Toothless purred and rolled an eye back to look at him.

"You alright there, bud?" he inquired, his voice laced with concern.

The dragon sneezed and shook his head, turning to face forward again. Not long after, they spotted the tails of the same dragons yet again, and Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that they had not lost them.

Urging Toothless to the front of their group, he swallowed nervously. Extreme caution was needed in this situation. If they weren't careful their dragons could be essentially hypnotized by the Queen. They would need to keep a sharp eye on their reptilian friends.

It was obvious after a moment that Toothless himself knew where he was going. He turned and dipped without Hiccup telling him to, though nothing appeared off.

"You lived here before, didn't you?" Hiccup thought aloud. Toothless barked a confirmation, flying nose to tail with a Monstrous Nightmare before diving to avoid a jagged stalactite hanging from the mouth of a cave, the other dragons following suit.

Hiccup's eyes were forced shut as soon as the air hit them, leaving the Night Fury to carry them in safely. It was unbearably hot, as was common for a nest, but the fog turned to true smoke, causing his eyes to water at the sudden stinging. He had become somewhat more accustomed to inhaling smoke, what with living with dragons, so he prevented himself from coughing, but he still pulled his breathing mask back across his face.

When he was able to reopen his eyes, he found that the air was much fresher, though he was blinded by the orange-red light of a nest fire emanating from the smoke hole. He squinted as the returning horde members either scurried away to their own crevices and nests or dropped what food they had managed to bring back down the hole.

Fuoco and Fiamma must have tracked him down as they led the rest of the group over to the ledge that Toothless had chosen to land on, high above the hole and giving a very good view of what went on below.

Most of the dragons had offered their kill; all except for a single Gronkle who buzzed out to the center of the volcanic pit and regurgitated a single fish, letting it fall. It paused, looking pleased with what it had brought back, happily kick-scratching its side for a moment.

Then, a very displeased roar reverberated inside the mountain, shaking the structure to its core. Looking around, Hiccup could see every dragon head still visible instantly disappeared from sight, their fear permeating the space. The riders, though members of the mighty Black Guard, and near fearless, tensed on the backs of their brave mounts, who growled quietly in challenge.

If there was one thing the dragons hated, it was seeing the Titan Wings abuse their power. It was perhaps one of the main reasons the Dragon Rider Corps came into being; a pact between man and dragon to fight against a common enemy as one.

Hiccup felt Toothless snort and paw the ground in indignation. He smirked. He really shouldn't have been worried about losing his strong-minded and willed friend.

Having left his thoughts drift so, he was jolted back to reality when something large and dark rose out of the fire pit. The massive jaw of the dragon split open and enveloped the offending Gronkle, snapping shut again with a deafening crunch of teeth. Hiccup watched in mild disgust as it began to lower back down into its nest, the eaten dragon still in the process of being swallowed.

Suddenly, the beast stopped moving, pausing briefly and flickering it's eyes, milky white aside from the slitted pupil, around the cavern. It's large nostrils would widen and then contract, sifting through the numerous scents to the smell of the humans underneath the fear of the dragons.

The head tilted to the side, affording the creature a view of the ledge that the riders had taken refuge on. It began to snort and growl, head starting the shudder and bob up and down.

"We need to get out of here, bud," Hiccup said quietly, leaning so he was close to his dragon's ear. "Now. Right now!"

Toothless spread his wings and darted into the air, the others following his lead, and made for the entrance. Beneath them, the monstrous Titan Wing lunged upward, once again opening its gigantic maw to catch them. The riders urged their companions out of reach as the horde left their hiding places in a panic, swarming the upper areas of the cavern and concealing the group.

However, when Hiccup chanced a look back, he saw that another unfortunate dragon, a Zippleback this time, had gotten itself caught. He frowned sadly, but he didn't let Toothless slow at all, continuing to rocket forward out into the fog.

~oOo~

No one said a word until they had reached the Cove again. They were all thinking the same thing so there was really no need.

In the end, it was Isra who broke the silence. "We can't beat that thing by ourselves," she said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "We simply don't have the manpower."

"We'll beat it. I know we can," Hiccup replied absentmindedly as he began to remove his many weapons.

"Tannalus, I know you want to get out of here as fast as possible, but getting killed is not the right way to do that," she chided, somewhat less than gently, "we need help."

Hiccup let the armor he was holding in his hands slip through his fingers and clatter to the ground. "And how, exactly, do you propose we get help?" he inquired, a dangerous edge to his tone, "Draconia is a three week journey from here. Six, if you count the return flight. The Archipelago will be devoid of human life within five of those weeks."

"You don't see the solution, do you?" she posited, giving him an incredulous look. He lifted a brow, silently asking for enlightenment. She scoffed.

"What would we do in any other situation like this where we can't get help from the Corps?" she asked, rhetorically. "We are sitting on top of a formidable invasion force and you won't be bothered to see it! Everything we need is right here, Tannalus, you just won't put aside your grudges long enough to take advantage of that fact!"

Hiccup stalked up to her, his unearthly green eyes boring into hers. He knew that he couldn't intimidate her, though he might try. He was roiling on the inside. It was so much more than just grudges! It was a lifetime of abuse and social exclusion.

"I can't," he growled before brushing past her and marching off towards the tree where he had spent the last several nights sleeping.

Reaching the corner that was most shrouded by shadows, he slid down against the bark, folding his arms and tucking his legs up near his chest. His hood was still up and he didn't bother to pull it back down, closing his eyes and trying to will himself to sleep.

He didn't get the chance as soft yet heavy footsteps shuffled into the hideout. He heard the person stop and sit down, crossing their legs beneath them and waiting. "You know you can't be angry at her, right?" the persona asked. Jaeger. Hiccup sighed in defeat.

"I know. But, Jaeger, they don't understand! No one understands, except for you and Toothless, of course, but no one gets it," he exclaimed, turning his head to face his brother.

Jaeger's face read only of concern and sympathy, his blue eyes twinkling gently and displaying the sadness he felt for Hiccup. "Then make them understand," he replied gently, "I understand that it's not something you like to talk about, let alone something that's easy to articulate, but you have to try.

"We may be one of the best teams, heck, we might be _the_ best team, but if we don't know who we are, we run the risk of falling. And everyone here would understand if you explained beyond the fact that you 'were ignored.' Because, let's face it, you weren't _just_ ignored," Jaeger finished, his expression deadpan.

Hiccup nodded. "I hate explaining it to people," he said quietly, pulling his knees closer to his chest and dropping his head.

"It'll be fine. The twins are orphans, bullied on the streets. Isra wasn't exactly well treated before she found Draconia either. And you know me, hunted as an outcast and wanted man," Jaeger said, getting to his feet. Once he was standing, he offered a hand to Hiccup, who took and allowed himself to be helped up.

"Besides, I'll be right next to you," he added, gripping Hiccup's hand and clapping him on the back good naturedly. The younger man barked a laugh as the older left the hideout. Hiccup took a deep breath, mentally preparing for what he was about to do.

Stepping back outside, he found that Isra and the twins had built up a small fire and were sitting around it, roasting some fish. He took a deep breath and strode after Jaeger, who was sitting down beside Isra, with enough room for Hiccup to sit in between him and Valentino.

Approaching the fire, he noticed that the first to look up was Isra, who watched him like a hawk. He nodded at her, acknowledging her gaze, and took his seat.

Taking another breath, he began. "Isra, I am sorry for my outburst earlier. I didn't mean to come off quite so angry."

Her eyes widened and her left eyebrow shot up at his apology. She turned her head down, staring into the fire before her for a moment before looking back up and meeting his eyes. "You...are forgiven, Tannalus. I didn't mean to reopen any wounds you may have because of this place," she said quietly.

"It's alright. You know hardly anything about my life before I came to Draconia," he admitted, giving each of his friends an apologetic look. "I know so much about all of you, and yet I remain an enigma."

" _Mi amici_ , we understand if its too hard to say," Valentino interjected, a surprisingly soft and reassuring smile on his face. "It's alright."

"No, it's not," Hiccup said, stopping him, "It's unfair that I shouldn't tell you anything. It may be difficult, but I'm willing to open up. To you three at least."

"What about Jaeger?" Felicia inquired, leaning around her brother to see their leader.

"I've already heard his story," the blond put in, leaning back and stretching out his arms.

" _You knew_?!" the three other riders exclaimed, feeling more than a little put out that they had been kept in the dark for years.

"Well, yeah! I'm the one who found him, after all. I've known for years; didn't tell anyone because I was sworn to secrecy," he replied. Satisfied with his explanation, the rest of the team relaxed and sat back as well, waiting for Hiccup to begin. Once everything was quiet, he began to speak.

"I was always an outcast here. If not officially, it was socially. Isra, you knew me when I first arrived, you saw what I looked like. A skinny, string bean of a boy, and very unviking-like. Because of that, I was treated as the runt, bullied by the others, abused.

"I tried to make myself better, to change myself to become like the rest of them. I thought they would finally notice me, see that I could be useful. I wanted to make my father proud of me," he explained, letting his eyes fall to the dancing flames in the pit. "For a long time, all I ever wanted was to be able to kill a dragon, so I could be like my dad. But when I got my chance, I realized that fate had other plans for what I was to become."

He told them everything after that. Told them about finding Toothless in the woods, injured and trapped in a weapon he had designed. He told them about his struggle, wanting to kill the Night Fury, but not having the courage, nor the emotional or physical capability to do so. He told them about how he had gone looking for the Night Fury again after he had freed him, how he had found him, and been determined to approach him.

He told them how he trained Toothless, and bonded with him slowly, helping the downed dragon to fly again. He told them about him excelling in "dragon training" which was really more learning how to slaughter dragons. He told them how he was chosen to kill a dragon.

He told them that he had blatantly defied tradition in his supposedly proudest moment, attempting to train the dragon rather than killing it. He told them that his father had become enraged, scaring the dragon and causing it to snap at him. He told them how, just before it seemed he would be killed himself, Toothless came to his rescue.

He told them how his father had locked Toothless away, and dragged him off and told him that he was disowned and banished.

He told them how he had flown away.

How he had traveled.

How he had found Jaeger.

How he came to Draconia.

How he made himself strong.

How he became the warrior he was now.

"And, well, I suppose you all know the rest," he said, giving the now tired group another apologetic look before dropping his gaze back to the fire. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Valentino smiling sorrowfully at him.

"Knowing you as we do know, I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that I am both amazed and proud of you for how you have become who you are now," he stated, his usually mischievous eyes now calm and giving him an almost sage look that made him appear twenty years older.

"If I had known about this, I would never have suggested that we join forces with the people here," Isra growled, her fists clenched at her sides. Her eyes burned with a wish for retribution. "They are cruel and barbaric, better fit for extermination by the Titan Wings."

"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Isra," Hiccup replied regaining his bearings from the tale, "but you were right." He looked back into the fire, watching it flicker ruefully.

"We do need their help. Five riders alone can't beat a Titan Wing. We need manpower and more riders," he said, glancing around the half-circle of friends. They were all looking at him expectantly. "How much time do you think we have?"

"Well, based on the way that the queen was with her horde, and on the disturbing shortage of food in the Archipelago, I would hazard that we have about...oh, maybe two months. Two and a half tops," Jaeger replied, finally sitting up again.

"That should be enough time, don't you think?" he inquired, looking around for objections. Everyone made some noncommittal sounds, not really feeling like banking on what they knew he was thinking.

"C'mon guys, this is all I've got right now. I don't like it either but it's our best option at the moment," he said.

"Yeah, it should be about long enough," Felicia grumbled.

"Alright. That's what we'll do. The dragons probably will probably be back again as soon as possible to raid, so we'd better be ready by tomorrow night," Hiccup said, quickly followed by everyone groaning.

"This has to be the worst possible plan you could have ever come up with, Tann. Besides, you said yourself that you're an outcast here," Valentino griped.

"I know, I know. Believe me, if there was any other way I could think of to do this, I would jump at it. But since I didn't hear any of you offering suggestions, I went with my best bet," he shrugged.

"Technically it was Isra's idea," Felicia interjected.

"Thank you," Isra replied.

"Whatever," Hiccup finished, cutting them off. "Let's just get some sleep so we'll be able to come up with some kind of plan tomorrow."

He leaned backwards until his head touched the ground and stared up at the starry sky above them. Without clouds obstructing the view, it was truly a lovely sight.

Tired from the events of the day, Hiccup didn't take too much time to enjoy it as his eyes closed and sleep overtook him.

 **A/N: Well, that happened. Hiccup and the gang surveyed the sitch with the dragons and our dear sarcastic viking went full tilt Angsty McAngstalot. He also apologized. *confetti and kazoos* Annnnd gave his friends the whole "tragic backstory" info download. Hope it didn't suck too bad. I hope I will never again have to start another sentence with "he told them." *shudders***

 **And now for the vote!**

 **Okay, here's what I was thinking, and let me know your opinions on both things:**

 **1.) Bonding - Draconian riders bond with their dragons on a much deeper level than we see in the movies and the show. I was thinking more along the lines of they undergo a certain ceremony (sort of like passing through the eye of Eywa in Avatar) and become linked, merging personalities almost and becoming "as one." They wouldn't be quite able to read each other's minds but would have a general understanding of what the other is thinking, and would be able to sense when the other is in danger. It's kind of like having a twin.**

 **2.) Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics - This is on a much more toned down level as I want all the fics to be rated "T." Basically, if any of you have read the** ** _Lunar Chronicles_** **(** ** _Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter_** **), then you will be familiar with the pack mentality that I'm running with. Top warriors are Alpha, then betas as their underlings, and then the omegas at the bottom. Let's just say, it's not going to be the kink meme version (which I found really weird when I came across it looking up stuff for this). I would think that this stems from the human's bonding with dragons, causing both parties to have conditions bordering on split personality disorder. Ahh side effects. I imagine that it would be set up this way:**

 **Common: Alpha x Alpha, Beta x Beta, Omega x Omega**

 **Acceptable: Alpha x Beta, Beta x Omega**

 **Near Unheard of: Alpha x Omega**

 **...Movie title in that last one.**

 **Well, that's kind of what I had in mind. Let me know if you think I should do it or not. It might make things a bit more interesting in the future, once I finish this first fic.**

 **-IMSP, out! *finger guns...again***


	10. Chapter 8 -- Stupefaction

**A/N: Here I am again, posting yet another chapter! There are two possible reasons as to why. 1.) it's another boring filler chapter and you're all going to shoot me, or 2.) it's complete and utter action.**

 **You'll all be pleased to know that it would be the latter. Listening to the Pan and How to Train Your Dragon soundtracks really helped a lot. I hope I can keep up this streak, as I've mentioned before, I really hate writing filler chapters. In any case, this will still be a reasonably sized chapter (it's about ten and a half pages long in Google Docs). I hope you like it and that it doesn't sound stupid later.**

 **Thank you guys who reviewed! Awesome as always! Oh, which reminds me, if any of you have questions about the two things I was considering including that I mentioned previously, tell me in a review and I'll PM you with a *hopefully* better explanation.**

 **Last but not least:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise whatsoever, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me.**

 **Enjoy the chapter! :)**

 **Chapter 8 - Stupefaction**

Astrid sat on the front steps of her family's home, her repaired war axe resting on her knees. She rhythmically ran a whet stone over the edge, the friction causing a noise that, after listening to it several times, allowed her to lose herself in her mind.

It was around this time the previous night that she had entered the forest surrounding the village in an attempt to find the shadowy dragon rider who had saved them from the Outcast invasion that surely would have been the end of them. She had found what she was looking for, in the end.

After searching for nearly an hour, she had discovered the circular gash in the ground, the Cove off Raven's Point. It was there that she had found them. The dragon and the rider.

Her whet stone slipped and skittered against the blade before steadying again.

She had been amazed by them, that they were as equals. That they were friends, perhaps brothers, their... _playing_ had been so natural. That was what she couldn't believe. They had _played_ with one another.

All her life she had known dragons to be dangerous, unpredictable and violent, with all but the most capable warriors being able to successfully defend against them. Now to see that they could be perfectly docile and even friendly had set her world shifting.

She could understand now. She could understand - vaguely - why _he_ had done what he did.

The whet stone stuttered again, pausing this time.

Again she was taken by thoughts, hopes even, that the mysterious rider could be _him_. Could be Hiccup.

It was possible. Hiccup had been barely 15 when he had left. Years in the wild could have changed him into what he was now. He wasn't done growing.

On the other hand, Hiccup's dragon had been much smaller than the other Night Fury, which had a bordering-on-monstrous wingspan and large but lithe body. It had also had two near uniformly black tailfins, whereas Hiccup's Night Fury had had mismatched brown and black.

 _But it wore a saddle and harness. It's got to be them_ , she reasoned, not quite sure what emotions she was feeling at the moment. Hiccup had been banished, he risked coming back here on pain of death. Not to mention that the rest of the village had long since dismissed him as being dead.

But if it was him, and he was helping them, the question of "why" still remained. No one on Berk had ever done anything for him. Well, maybe Gobber had, but besides him, there was no one. Not even his own father. Not even her. It was true that she had been largely indifferent to him - until he began to surpass her in dragon training, that is - but she had never outrightly abused him as the others had. Never made him the butt of her jokes and subject of her bullying.

She hadn't exactly done anything _for_ him either. She had made it a priority to stay away from him, as if she had been afraid that his weakness and clumsiness were contagious. She change the subject when the others joked about him, and she didn't stop them when they bullied him. She had known all along that he was hated, but she had turned a blind eye and deaf ear to him.

Then again, she supposed he knew that. Anyone indifferent to him was someone he knew he couldn't turn to for help. And frankly, everyone had been indifferent to him. To the _mistake_. Having never dealt with being ignored, as the favored prodigy child that had worked hard, but had everything come easily to her, she wondered what that must have been like.

All her life Astrid had had her parents' support. For the longest time, Hiccup's father had done the same thing as everyone else. Never stood up for his son; always told him he had to fight his own battles, but never taught him how.

In the end, Astrid could understand why he left. Why he didn't come back.

Why he would _never_ come back.

She didn't notice that the whet stone had stopped completely.

Shaking her head and returning to reality, she continued her work, sharpening the axe edge until it shone in the afternoon sun.

~oOo~

 _Nine hours later..._

"Does everyone have their dragon whispers?" Hiccup asked, depositing three of the metal spheres into a pouch on his belt. A few affirmative noises sounded around the circle of gathered dragons and riders. He removed one of the gas cartridges from his belt and slid it into the hilt of his right hand sword before replacing the weapon on his back.

Toothless nudged him in the side, purring at him inquisitively. Hiccup turned to see a pair of greengage eyes shining through the darkness of the night. His dragon's body outlined only by the meager light of the moon above. He offered a weak half smile to his best friend and, well, brother. The dragon lifted his head to its full height, which was just a little above Hiccup's. The rider lifted his hand up and rested it on his dragon's snout, his half smile becoming a soft but full one.

Still, the Night Fury, ever intuitous, looked into Hiccup's eyes knowingly and hummed gently, pushing into the gloved hand. Hiccup chuckled lightly.

"I'll survive, bud. I may not like it - at _all_ \- but its the best plan we've got," he assured his friend. "Actually, it's the only plan we've got," he added, mumbling to himself. Toothless pushed forward abruptly bumping his rider's forehead with his nose.

"Alright, Tannalus. It's nearly the usual raid time," Isra announced, her head tilted back to view the path of the moon, nearing the crescent stage.

"That's good, but we don't even know if there's going to be a raid tonight," Felicia commented.

"There will be," Hiccup replied, "besides, I sent Jaeger out to scout for the horde. He'll give us a heads up and then we all fly out and fight back before our little 'dramatic entrance'."

"Well that's just wonderful! We're missing _yet another_ good night's sleep for something that may or _may not_ happen," Valentino interjected, sounding very put out from where he stood leaning against Fuoco's side.

"Brother, it's not as though we've not been getting the equivalent by sleeping half the day away," Felicia reasoned, being the less hotheaded of the twins. Valentino snorted.

"But that's the problem, _cara_ _sorella_. I don't like sleeping half the day away," he replied sharply. She turned around and gave him a look that alerted him to quit while he was ahead, effectively shutting him up. Hiccup chuckled again.

They were a good team together, knowing each other nearly as well as they would if they were bonded. He grinned and shook his head at their antics, turning to check Toothless's harness for any loose straps. He didn't want to fall off unintentionally.

Hardly a moment later, a rasping roar split through the air and he whipped his head up to see Caelestis' owl-like body swinging down for a landing. He was at an angle, and he dropped further, arching one of his taloned feet while extending the other one. Reaching the ground, he skidded across the ground, digging his almost ridiculously long claws into the dirt to stop.

Hiccup saw Jaeger swaying in the saddle, fighting to stay aboard. Caelestis gave another roar before he righted himself and shook out his four massive wings.

"The dragons are coming. They'll have reached Berk by now," the blond man announced from his seat high above them. Hiccup gave a nod and picked up his mask from where it too hung from his belt and placed it over his mouth.

"Alright everyone, mount up and remember to stick to the plan," Hiccup ordered, swinging onto Toothless's neck and expertly setting his feet into the stirrups, urging the midnight black dragon into the air. The other three quickly followed after him, spiraling into the night sky towards the slowly building cacophony of noise on the other side of the forest.

~oOo~

Astrid's legs weren't hurting this time, but she was sweating up a storm.

She supposed that was what happened when one wakes up with their roof on fire.

She'd acted quickly, pulling her armor on and grabbing her axe, grateful that the fire brigade had seen the flames and done their best to put them out.

That wasn't the only surprise though. As soon as she had opened her front door, she was met with the challenge of an angry Gronkle, ready to hurl a fireball in her face.

Slamming the heavy door shut behind her, she leapt from the front steps she had been sitting on not nine hours before and tumbled away from the house.

It was another raid, but that was nothing knew.

She darted into the fray, dodging her fellow vikings to aid in several situations at once. Coming to halt, she spun around to swing the flat side of her axe at a charging Nightmare, jarring it, before coming full circle and using the blade to hack through a rope that tied down one of the dragon traps. While the dragon was still regaining its bearings, a large weighted net dropped onto it from above, securing it long enough for ten vikings to reach it and hold it down.

She saw Stoick amidst the chaos, holding his own against another Monstrous Nightmare, this one sporting blue, purple, and green scales as opposed to the burnt orange and red one she had just battled.

Hearing a cry for help, she looked up to see a lone Viking on one of the catapult towers, preparing it. However, he was not alone as he had thought he was. A Hideous Zippleback had ambushed him, cornering him up there.

Breaking into a run, she rushed at the tower, returning her axe to her back and pulling herself up the supports and scaffolding. It was faster than taking the stairs. Reaching the top, she used the last of her arms' strength to launch herself the rest of the way up. Unleashing her war cry, she again pulled her axe from her back and held it in a defensive stance.

The creature hissed, opening its mouth wide. She would know in a moment just how much danger she was in. A spark flickered behind the rows of needle-like teeth and Astrid smirked. Her eyes flickered to the other head. It was completely absorbed in watching the cowering viking pressed up against one of the catapult's support beams.

It had begun to open its mouth, toying with the man. Astrid's smirk faded and she made to stab at the spark-head. The creature hissed and pulled back, but the tip of her axe managed to slice the thin scales beneath it's left eye, causing it to hiss even louder.

This attracted the attention of the gas-head, which drew away from the man and swung toward her, a thick green gas wisping out of slightly ajar mouth.

She swallowed. Now she was in trouble. Still, she planned to put the other life before her own. "Go. Get out of here," she whispered through gritted teeth to the man whose aid she had come to the rescue of. She heard something akin to a whimper and he didn't move. " _Move! Now!_ " she hissed, flicking her eyes for a split second to the man. It was only then did she see him dart away out of the corner of her eye.

The spark-head hissed like a snake and snapped at her, feinting an attack. She jerked her axe up, glad she had a substantial weapon, but wishing for a shield. Realizing the creature had faked her out, she held her axe back near her shoulder, ready to swing and knock at least one head of the monster off the island.

Then, something unusual happened. The creature's eyes both became wide, seemingly with terror, and the two heads swiveled away from her to look into the night sky above them. Then they cowered, the spine of their shared body arching upward in terror. It hissed a final time before scrambling backward of the tower, nearly falling to the ground before spreading it's wings and gliding off a safe distance, one head turned back to keep an eye out for danger.

Astrid straightened, her axe pointing to the ground, watching the erratic flight path of her previous opponent.

 _What was that all about?_ She wondered. It certainly hadn't been anything she had done. It hadn't been the least bit frightened of her. She turned back around and squinted at the sky above, trying to discern what exactly had caused the dragon's fearful retreat.

Her questions were answered hardly two seconds later when a familiar shriek pierced through the noises caused by the battle below. Her eyes widened with fear and the hair on her neck and arms stood at attention. She looked up, hearing the sound building and getting closer, and saw that parts of the sky where there should have been stars were blacked out. She took a tentative step backward, aware that the tower was a good twenty, perhaps thirty, feet from the ground. She would have to be lucky to survive a fall from that height.

She would have to be even luckier to survive the lightning fire of a Night Fury. The shriek was deafeningly close now, barrelling toward her at an alarming rate. Finally, her legs got the message from her brain about self-preservation and she turned, running to the edge and leaping off.

Perhaps everything would have gone well if she had made it in time. The purple-blue blast slammed into the tower, felling the catapult and shaking the whole structure to it's core, causing the timber supports to collapse. Astrid's take-off thus left her flailing in mid-air with a great deal to be desired.

A scream wrenched itself from her throat, and her life flashed before her eyes as the ground began to come up fast. She shut her eyes, expecting the end to come quickly.

She never touched the ground.

Rather, something grabbed her shoulder in a vice-like grip and dragged her up into the sky again. Another scream threatened to tear out of her vocal chords, but she tamped down on it. Instead, she turned her head to see what was holding her. A black scaled paw with five black claws, which were bent more like fingers, were dug into her shoulder and pauldron. They weren't gripping tightly enough to break her skin, but they were holding her enough to make certain she did not struggle. A deep growl prompted her to look up.

She gasped and couldn't help twisting herself in the creature's grip when she saw what it was.

 _The Night Fury_.

The dragon growled warningly at her, a single luminous green eye and slitted pupil turning down to look at her. It's mouth split open just enough for her to see two rows of sharp teeth and nothing else. She heard a voice up above and saw a dark hand reach down to rest on the creature's head. The pupil of the eye slid upward and enlarged a fair bit in acknowledgment of the hand's owner.

Astrid's own eyes traveled upward to see the figure seated in the saddle secured around the dragon's neck. Cloth whipped around him, distorting his true shape slightly, and he was clearly wearing a hood, but she knew it was him. She mentally slapped herself for thinking it; of course it was him, the dragon gave it away.

She was left staring in awe at him for a few moments before she caught the fire glinting off the dragon's scales and eyes. The rider leaned forward in the saddle and the dragon responded in kind, tilting forward into a dive.

Again, Astrid found herself having difficulty suppressing a scream.

She waved her free arm wildly, trying to swing it up high enough to grasp the dragon's paw and give her the leverage she would need to tuck her body into a ball. However, before she could, the dragon leveled out and swooped low over the ground.

Astrid yelped when it released her shoulder, gently guiding her along for a brief second as she hit the ground. She didn't fall, but instead watched frozen in her awe inspired state as the dragon once again careened upwards into the shadows and swarms of dragons as quickly as it had come with a few powerful beats of its wings.

It was then that she realized that it had not come alone.

Four more dragons were flying about, seemingly against the pack, that she didn't recognize. Spotting one of the larger ones, she recognized it as a rare and mighty four-winged dragon, known locally as a Stormcutter. The others she couldn't place.

Two of them looked like fiery crosses between a Skrill, a Nadder, and a Monstrous Nightmare.

The third was a scauldron unlike any she had ever seen. It was not the bulbous creature from the Book of Dragons. Rather, it was more streamlined, made of more sharp edges than round. And yet it spewed water, putting out fires and discouraging any more dragons from starting new ones.

 _They must have been responsible for last night_ , she thought, watching the five dragons and their riders work. Recalling the phenomenon that had left everyone confused and tired of thinking, she realized they must have been what caused the dragon swarm to herd together and then fly off into the night with hardly anything.

After a moment, Astrid was brought back to reality by a viking running past her, war axe lifted high over his head and screaming a war cry. It was then that she remembered she had lost her own weapon when she jumped from the tower.

Turning in a circle, she spotted the same catapult, still in flames and falling to the ground. She ran toward it instead of away, hoping her prized possession wasn't lost.

She found it in a bush a few moments of searching later, the blade wedged in some of the tangled branches, but still holding fast to the hilt. Wrenching it out and charging back to the square, she looked up to see that something had changed.

Just like the previous night, the dragons had been herded away.

But they weren't leaving.

Rather, they were circling above five rooftops surrounding the village square.

Then, above each roof, something large and dark dropped out of the sky, closely followed by a small portion of the flying reptiles. Swarming around them, the dragon's created an almost threatening mock cyclone.

Astrid's eyes widened in both fear and awe when she saw dark figures rise to stand tall, weapons in hand lit with dragonfire.

~oOo~

Sword ready in one hand, Hiccup gave Toothless a reassuring pat on the head before he locked the tailfin into the automatic position and kicked his feet out of the stirrups. Letting them hang for a moment, he closed his eyes, took a breath, prepared himself for what he was about to do, and let himself tilt to the side.

Then he was falling.

The wind on his face during a freefall was always welcome, no matter where he was, no matter how short the fall. It had a way of clearing his head, and it was for this very reason he liked these types of entrances.

Or maybe he liked these types of entrances because he could perform them. Prove, if only to himself, that he was now who he was meant to be. That he could do what they never could. That he could do what they never thought _he_ could.

How wrong they were.

He smirked under his mask, tilting himself forward to land in a crouch on the roof, just like his friends were nearby. He had kept the dragon whisper carefully in the pouch on his belt once he had activated it.

Thankfully it had worked, attracting enough dragons to form an imposing vortex around him.

 _Pause for full effect_ , he thought for a moment before straightening up slowly, clicking the gas activator. As soon as the wisps began to crawl up the insides of the cut out in the blade, the sheer heat surrounding it caused the blade to burst into flames.

It was surely an intimidating sight.

He looked down at the vikings, who had stopped their fighting and gathered in the square to watch the dragons as they swarmed. He waited a few moments more, scanning the crowd, before he reached a hand into the pouch and deactivated the dragon whisper.

Instantly, the dragons dispersed, scrambling to get away and knocking into one another; their demeanor just as confused and frenzied as it had been the previous night.

He watched them leave until he heard Toothless come in for a landing behind him, skillfully maintaining his balance on the steeply angled shingles. Though he didn't turn to look at him, he knew that his dragon was sidling up behind him, likely protectively.

Their faces largely indiscernible, Hiccup couldn't help the fresh smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. So far the theatricality of his entrance had made an impression.

 _Excellent_.

He debated for a moment whether or not the second part of their plan would fall through. He was banking on the vikings still being superstitious and reverent. That meant, though it might take a moment, one of them would step forward and ask what they wanted. And Hiccup planned to answer them.

However, they were taking much longer than he thought they would. He gave a sigh, but he didn't budge from his stance.

A wave of relief and annoyance washed over him when his father finally pushed his way out of the crowd and stepped into their little makeshift ring.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Stoick shouted, his voice still loud as thunder, though it had become slightly more gravelly in his old age. Hiccup narrowed his eyes and his brow twitched in distaste, but he took his cue and sprang lithely from his perch.

He landed in a crouch before the man he had once called his father, drawing himself up slowly to his full height. A part of him acknowledged proudly and traitorously that he had come to see eye to eye with his father in the literal sense. He knew he still held his sword in his hand, though the flames had dissipated as soon as they had consumed all the gas.

He locked eyes with the older man, noting that they shared the same base emerald color, as he lifted the sword back and returned it carefully to its sheath. He found that standing tall and proud and keeping his eyes hard was no problem; he wasn't afraid of this man anymore.

In fact, feeling fearful of any man had become an alien sensation.

Stoick's own eyes narrowed suspiciously at him.

"Who are you?" he repeated, this time more quietly. Hiccup exhaled slowly, flicking his eyes to the gathered crowd behind them. Should he reveal?

He wasn't being given much of a choice. Vikings generally valued honesty, unless it suited them to be untruthful.

It _had_ been years.

They wouldn't recognize him.

Right?

If they did, he could always try another village. Though he doubted the Outcasts and Berserkers would be willing to help. The other tribes had been all but decimated and the survivors had taken to hiding in caves or forests. Prospects seemed bleak if things didn't go to plan.

Sighing in resignation, he reached up and pushed back his hood so the fabric pooled at his shoulders and neck, and leaving the mask as his only identity protection.

Stoick's eyes widened before him, as if he were surprised that he had even gotten him to do that much.

Hiccup wasn't finished though. Reaching up again, he untied the mask and pulled it away from his face, throwing it to the dirt.

Now he felt an unnerving sensation in his stomach. It wasn't fear, of that much he was certain, but it still bothered him. He didn't like the idea of laying himself bare in front of these people. Still, he had to remember that he wasn't the 15 year old boy who had run away from this place ten years ago. He had changed.

Turning his eyes on Stoick, he began his introduction, hoping his Norse was less rusty than he thought it was.

"I am Son Tannalus, dragon rider, Captain of the Draconian army, and ambassador on behalf of the Great Dragon Empire and her mighty Emperor," he answered, crossing his chest in the standard salute. If there was one thing being in the army and then the Black Guard had taught him, it was respect for higher ups. Technically, his father still outranked him, being the chief of a village. It was imperative that he show the older man respect, give the Empire a good name and all.

As the Captain of one of the top squadrons, it was also vital to his reputation. He made a mental note to ask Princess Maeri why she liked getting him into these sorts of situations.

Stoick's eyebrows had shot up and his mouth was slightly ajar. Seeing his father speechless created a hairline fracture in the feelings of spite and anger and made Hiccup almost want to preen. It _was_ an impressive title for a man his age.

Finally the older man seemed to gather his bearings off the floor and spoke again. "What do you want?"

~oOo~

Astrid could only watch and listen from her place in the crowd. She wasn't completely in the middle so she didn't have too much difficulty seeing the shadow man as he leapt from the roof and landed gracefully in front of the chief. She watched his movements, which appeared to be carefully calculated and yet effortless at the same time. Much like the dragon he rode.

She craned her neck and squinted as he put away his sword and Stoick repeated his question. Everything was still for a moment before he, almost hesitantly, reached up and pushed his hood back away from his face. His hair was long for a boy and dark, coming down to frame his face. She couldn't quite tell if it was pulled back or not. His skin was on the fair side, and she could see shadowy markings that weren't bruises etched on his face. Tattoos. It was too dark to see his eyes completely, but they glistened in the light of the dying fires around them.

It was then that he spoke.

"I am Son Tannalus, dragon rider, Captain of the Draconian army, and ambassador on behalf of the Great Dragon Empire and her mighty Emperor," he said. She heard the words clearly, and they were not lost on her. But the voice made her shiver. It was deep and powerful, the hint of a growl edging its timbre.

She was no longer aware of anything happening around her. She was numb. _Hiccup's voice hadn't sounded like that. Even after it had dropped_ , she thought. A part of her was, admittedly, dismayed that it wasn't him.

 _Son Tannalus_ , she thought, rolling the name around in her head, trying to recreate the way he had said it. The accent was foreign, not Norse, though he spoke the language perfectly.

Stoick asked his next question. "What do you want?"

She eagerly awaited his answer.

~oOo~

Hiccup folded his hands behind his back in a gesture of formal respect for the chieftain. He bowed his head forward momentarily for the same reason, much to his inner displeasure. He had to calculate exactly what his response should be. He knew he should probably tell him that their way of life and everything they held dear was in danger because of a giant dragon living inside of a volcano on an island about a week's journey by ship away. And he should also likely tell them that their survival depended on their cooperation with him and his squadron.

A part of him wanted more than anything to call Toothless down from the roof, jump on his back, fly off back to Draconia, and leave it at that. But he couldn't. First of all because it would be strange, simply dropping from the roof, stating his name and title, and then flying off. Secondly, it wasn't going to solve any problems.

Hiccup hated it, but he knew that the logic was sound.

So he stuck with it. Inhaling deeply and praying to whatever deity would listen that he be able to keep his composure, he began. "Undoubtedly you have noticed the sudden return of the dragons to your island. I'm sure you've wondered why."

He waited patiently for Stoick to nod.

Finally, the older man's head jerked slightly, his face still one of awe.

"We know the cause. A Queen of the dragons has made her home in one of your many territories and plans to wipe out your kind, if not by starvation, then by fire," Hiccup explained tersely. Stoick's mouth opened and closed once. Then his expression darkened into something dangerous, something Hiccup recognized. His father thought that he had been proved right.

"I knew it," the chief said, his voice a near whisper. He turned to look at Hiccup, who still stared at him resolutely indifferent. "We've lived with the threat of the dragons for far too long, and we will fight them to our last breath," he said, his voice louder now, "but how can I know to trust you? You and your companions ride dragons. How do I know you aren't in league with this "Queen" you speak of?"

Hiccup felt his hackles rise and an involuntary shiver of revulsion raced down his spine before he could stop it. His eyes flashed at his fa-Stoick. "The Queen is not like the other dragons. She has transcended her humanity in her hunger and thirst for power," he growled, "she'll kill you all in her anger and desire for territory and food."

Stoick and the other vikings seemed sufficiently shaken by the revelation that there was a dragon to end all dragons literally on their back doorstep, ready to burn it down and kill them all. He had considered several different tactics to gain the viking's help, but he had only been able to deem threatening as worthy. Not just because he wanted to, but also because he was well aware that they wouldn't be affected by anything else. Even then he still wasn't certain what their response would be.

He got his answer when Stoick looked back at him, meeting his eyes again. The older man gave his usual prideful sigh-slash-snort and humphed. "Very well. I suppose we should negotiate a treaty before we come to an agreement. You are going to need our help, yes?" he asked. Hiccup nodded.

"That was the plan. We can't defeat the Queen on our own. There are only five of us," he said, his voice turning slightly saccharine.

Stoick nodded.

"Alright. Just so we are all in our best frame of mind when we begin negotiations, I suggest that we all get a good night's sleep and resume in the morning," he posited. Hiccup nodded, feeling slightly lighter at the thought of sleep. "Follow me."

Hiccup looked up at Toothless, who was perched like a dark and menacing angel of death on the roof above them. " _Tul a toror'_ ," he called, summoning the dragon, who loosened his stance and leapt from the roof, curling protectively around his rider. Their last experience here had left a bad taste in both their mouths.

He gave a single short nod to his friends, who were likewise waiting for his signal. They in turn called for their dragons, who did the same as Toothless. Undoubtedly the black dragon had told them in his own way to be cautious around these people. He looked down at his reptilian brother, seeing that his ears were pinned flat against his his eyes were narrowed warily. Hiccup rested his hand on the dished skull for a moment before beckoning him to follow.

The dragon growled his dissent, but only shook his head and pawed once at the ground before leaping after him and falling into step beside him. The pair striding after the large chieftain, the crowd of gathered people dispersed and watched them move through the town.

~oOo~

Astrid watched with particular interest when Stoick turned and started to lead him away. The man turned, tilting his head back to look up at the dragon crouched high above his head. He called it down in a language she didn't understand and it followed his path with the same inhuman grace. He signaled the other riders as well, and they in turn their dragons.

Then the man started to follow after Stoick, walking right at her. Her cheeks flushed when she realized he would soon realize that she was staring, so she quickly averted her eyes to the suddenly interesting dirt at her feet.

Shifting them slightly, she knew that everyone else, boarish as they were, had been staring the whole time as well. Not feeling so bad, she lifted her eyes in time to see the pair pass. Her eyes widened.

She had been one of the few to come close to him since his first appearance, but she had never come this close before. There had always been a distance of at least a meter or more between them.

Now, she was close enough to reach out and touch his arm. She clenched her hand at her side to keep herself from doing so. She wanted to prove to herself that he was real, not the spirit she had mistaken him for at their first meeting.

He was tall. Almost impossibly so, towering over her by a full head and shoulders. Rarely did she feel small, despite the fact that most people stood taller than she did. Then again, it was rare that strange people from strange lands came to Berk.

Perhaps it was the intimidating figure he cut. He wasn't nearly as large as the vikings. His arms and body and general weren't meaty and shaped like the trunk of a hundred year old oak tree. He was slim, though she didn't doubt that he was strong, having held his own against roughly half the Outcast tribe, and wrestled a dragon which likely weighed about as much as a small ship.

It was then, as she was lost in her stupefied ruminations, that his head turned and he looked down.

 _At her!_

She gasped quietly when she locked eyes with him again. This close to him, she could see the details in his eyes. They weren't a flat green as she had thought previously. They held a fire. Literally.

While the base was a still a dark viridian shade, it was overlaid with gold and a reddish amber nearer to the pupil.

He blinked and the moment was gone as he passed her. Briefly the dragon paused to eye her up and down once before giving her a scathing glare and continuing on.

The other riders passed, their dragons beside them as well. She watched them with interest as well, but her eyes kept returning to the tall figure and dark dragon in the lead. When they disappeared up the stairs to the Great Hall, she suddenly became aware that she had been holding a breath.

Releasing it, she turned her head down and hurried to her house. Once she arrived, she slammed the door shut behind her and propped her axe against the wall before trudging up the stairs to her room.

Not even bothering to remove her armor and hood, she flopped onto the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. A part of her felt hopeful. The riders were going to help them solve their dragon problem, at least that's what it sounded like, for good. Another part of her was disappointed, though.

That part of her had been hoping, rather irrationally, that Hiccup would be the one to return and save them.

Angry at the thought, she screwed her eyes shut, her brows knitting together, and rolled onto her side.

She would have to get her head in order come morning or there would be problems.

 **A/N: All things considered, I think that went rather well. It's very hard for me to convey how Hiccup feels in this situation. It took me about four hours to figure out that I wanted to use the word "irrationally" in Astrid's bit at the end. ugh. OTL. Writing is fun, but it's hard too. Though, I must admit, I'm just as hooked as you guys are on this story. Again, the next chapter is already in the works. There will be less action, but it'll still be pretty important. Things are starting to heat up finally. *rubs hands together excitedly like the evil villain I am* eheheheheheheeheheheheehe!**

 **By the way, shout out to mypettaylor! I really appreciate the helpful reviews you've written, and I plan to go back and edit this as soon as it's finished so anyone looking for completed fics will have a nice, polished up HTTYD Hiccup Runs Away to become totally kick-butt story to read.**

 **Well, that's all for now.**

 **IMSP, out! *** ** _hautboys, exit stage right_** *****


	11. Chapter 9 -- Here's the Deal

**A/N: Here I am yet again, back posting a new chapter! I know you guys are happy with the quick updates, but as school is ending in a few weeks and I won't have access to their Macbooks for about two months, and I'll have more online school work to do during my free period, the updates will likely be slowing down a bit. Just thought I would give you guys a warning before it happened. :) I'm glad you guys are still interested in this, I really am!**

 **Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing or doesn't make sense. I still don't have a beta and I can only rely on my own two eyes to make sure I've got everything in order before I post.**

 **Anyway, last but not least:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me.**

 **Chapter 9 - Here's the Deal**

Hiccup was about ready to claw his own eyes out in frustration.

He had awoken nicely enough that morning. After the previous night, combined with almost a week's worth of poor sleep, he had nodded off almost instantly after Stoick had left and he and his friends had bedded down aside their dragon companions. He'd woken up tucked against Toothless's side, a large black wing serving as a blanket.

He must have had a nightmare sometime during the night.

Toothless had done that years ago whenever he would have a nightmare. The intuitive Night Fury had always been in tune with him, even more so now that they had become bond brothers.

Sensing his awakening, Toothless had woken up and looked at him sleepily for a moment before butting him with his nose and withdrawing his wing. Hiccup had smiled lightly and rubbed his dragon between his eyes before getting up to see about waking the others.

Things went downhill from there.

Apparently, when Stoick had said "resume in the morning," he had meant first thing. He'd come banging through the doors with his war council in tow bare minutes after everyone had managed to open their eyes. And also apparently, "first thing" even meant before breakfast. Which meant that negotiations would have to take place on an empty stomach.

Five hours later, Hiccup was still tired, his brain was muddled from lack of fuel, his anger was rising to dangerously high levels, and most of all, he was hungry.

Case in point, his stomach growled loudly at this critical point in the situation. One of the war council members, a woman by the name of Helga, had just made a point that it would be dangerous for the entire tribe to go, and leave the children. He sighed, wanting desperately to rub his forehead and temples as he answered.

"If we can't defeat the Queen, no one will be left alive. Not even your children," he growled tersely, feeling that he was justified in his harshness. The woman gasped and swallowed, but kept her mouth shut. Maybe he had gotten the point of "don't pull on the ears of an angry dragon" across.

He stared with his eyes half lidded at the Vikings, who had gone strangely quiet for a moment before they looked at one another and turned away, forming their signature huddle on the opposite side of the huge fire pit. Hiccup exhaled through his nose and bent forward, supporting himself on the counter-like wall around the pit as he shifted his weight.

He started to drop his head lower so he could cup his chin in his palm and rest his eyes for a moment while the Chief and his council argued the merits of joining forces with the strangers from the foreign empire. Before his neck could receive some blessed relief from holding his head up all day, the group turned to face him.

Instantly, he straightened back up, waiting for their response, his expression stoic. The chief mirrored his own movement from before, leaning heavily on the counter. He huffed a sigh before looking up to meet Hiccup's across the way.

"We will help you," he said, his voice gravelly and tired. Hiccup straightened even more, to his full height, out of surprise. He hadn't been expecting them to agree. "But, we have a few...conditions."

He kept himself from slouching, but Hiccup could feel a part of his soul die inside him.

"And what would those be?" he inquired, hoping it would be something doable.

"Our conditions," Stoick began, "are that a few of our number join your ranks. You teach them your ways while they help you adjust to life here. If you're going to help solve our dragon problem, you might as well teach us how to keep it solved."

By the time the older man had finished, Hiccup knew his jaw had fallen open, at least slightly. Of all the things he could have imagined them wanting, he never would have expected this. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words froze in his throat. When he tongue finally became unstuck, he still kept it from speaking. He didn't trust himself not to start spewing profanities.

Closing his mouth and clenching his jaw for a second, he steadied his voice and replied. "If those are your terms. I will need to speak with my companions before I give you an answer," he said, doing his best not to choke as he spoke the words. The chieftain nodded and pushed off the table, signaling his council to follow him. They took their sweet time getting to the doors, edging around him carefully and keeping their eyes on him at all times. He in turn did the same.

Once they were all gone and the doors had banged shut behind them, he moved from his position over to the table littered with food of all sorts. He sighed at the sight, noting that yet another thing hadn't changed. Stepping up to the buffet, he picked up a plate and piled three slices of salmon onto the plate. At the end of the table, he filled a flagon with water and moved to one of the benches to take a seat.

A moment later he heard the door open and the clicking of multiple sets of claws on the stone floor. Shuffling boots could be distinguished a moment later.

"Well, took ya long enough," said a friendly and familiar voice as a hand used his head to support the person next to him as they set themselves down. He glanced over to see Jaeger settling down beside him. His gaze turned irritated when the older man reached over to pick up one slice of salmon. Hiccup knocked it away.

"Go get your own. There's plenty left over there, and I haven't eaten anything today," he growled, as good-naturedly as possible.

Jaeger laughed, withdrawing his hand and leaving the rest of Hiccup's meal alone. Silence began to drift over the pair as Hiccup began to pick at his meal and Jaeger glanced around the hall.

"So, I would assume it went well since you're on a break. Or not," the older stated, looking at the younger cautiously. His mouth full of salmon, Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes to look at the blond pointedly. He swallowed his food before starting his rant.

"We get started, consider options for three hours, and deliberate for two! They're worried about what will happen here if they decide to go on this raid, and not thinking enough on what will happen here if they don't. At this point, they won't believe me even if I threaten them," he finished, his voice rising before dropping to an angry growl. Jaeger looked at him empathetically.

"Sorry to harass, but did you manage to get them to agree to anything?" he inquired, sounding a bit gun shy of Hiccup's reaction. Hiccup sighed again, dropping his head until his chin rested on his chest.

"Yes. But I don't like it. Not at all. It's the worst thing they could have possibly come up with, but it's the only way I might be able to get them to agree to help us," he replied.

One of Jaeger's eyebrows shot up. "...Spill."

"Short and sweet, they don't trust us. They think we're in league with the Queen and they're loathe to follow us blindly. I understand that, it's oddly logical for them," he said, admitting the last part begrudgingly. "Because of this, their idea of a solution is integrating a few of their own into our group."

Jaeger's mouth popped open and he sucked in a breath, like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. At least not fast enough.

"What?!"

Hiccup twisted around in his seat to see Felicia, Valentino, and Isra standing just inside the hall. The former's mouths were open while the latter had simply crossed her arms over her chest.

"You three could not have better or worse timing," Hiccup said, a grim smile forming on his face as the trio moved over and took their seats on the opposite bench. Jaeger's mouth finally came unstuck again.

"What exactly does 'integrating' entail?" he asked, resting his chin in his hand and propping his elbow on the edge of the table. Hiccup shrugged.

"I would assume teach them how to train dragons, how we live. Train them, teach them about Draconia. At this point, I'm not entirely certain," he replied.

Valentino dropped his head onto the table, the impact making a noise that reverberated throughout the room. "I _really_ don't want to be a part of this," he said, voice muffled by the wooden boards. His words were closely followed by a string of something indiscernible.

"What'd he say?" Hiccup asked, looking to Felicia.

"He repeated himself slightly more emphatically in Italian," she said, looking at the top of her brother's head. He mumbled something else in his native language. His sister's eyes widened and she smacked him, hard. He yelped.

"What'd he say now?" Jaeger inquired.

"Something I won't repeat," Felicia replied, glaring scathingly at her brother, who had lifted his hands to protect his skull. "Stop being such a child, it's not like you don't deserve it!"

Jaeger turned his attention back to Hiccup. "So, that's the deal we have to go with? There's no other way?" he asked. Hiccup shook his head.

"Well, I understand why they don't trust us. They want to make sure they're not making a deal with the devil. And besides, they sort of have us backed up against a wall here. We can't just say no to this deal. It would seem like we're trying to be defensive or secretive and if I had a week I couldn't list all the reasons that wouldn't work," he said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Tannalus, just get to the point. You've never, ever, been one to beat around a bush. At this point, you've dug a trench. What's the deal?" Isra interjected, her face one that would not accept any nonsense.

"I'm saying that, despite it being a pain in the _sundo_ , it would be best to simply accept the deal and do the best we can with what we've got," he answered her.

Jaeger leaned back, and closed his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that this will be more trouble than it's worth?"

"It probably will be, but if it gets us the army we need, plus a few extra riders - if we can train them fast enough - then it might just be worth it," Hiccup replied, sighing in resignation. "Are you guys up for this?"

Valentino sat back up and looked at his sister pleadingly. She shook her head and he sighed. Isra leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "I'll do it," she said. Felicia raised her hand and dropped it on the table.

"We are too."

Valentino muttered something in Italian, receiving a warning glance from his sister.

"I'm with her, yeah."

Hiccup smiled at them gratefully. "I appreciate you guys being as helpful as you are, I really do. Mainly because I'm not too fond of the idea of spending another five hours negotiating another treaty," he said, rubbing his forehead at the memory of the headache that had been building all morning.

At their nods of approval, he dug into the fish again, stuffing his mouth as gracefully as possible.

They all sat in silence while he cleared his plate, the amiable atmosphere only broken when a group of vikings pushed through the doors. Hiccup lifted his eyes to see the generation he had grown up with standing there, staring at them from the doorway. He narrowed his eyes marginally as he passed them over each person.

He'd only ever been able to get general cursory glances at them, aside from Astrid, whom he recognized immediately. He watched them like a hawk as they slowly got their food and retreated to a table on the opposite side of the room.

He noticed Fishlegs first. How could he miss him? If he had been large as a boy, he was huge as a man. His blond hair had small braids tied into certain places, causing them to stick out a bit. He'd grown a light beard, which was difficult to see because of its pale color. His clothing hadn't changed much. The style was largely the same, but it seemed he had traded out one fur for another. Altogether, he still reminded Hiccup of an enthusiastic and easily startled bear.

Snotlout was next, provoking Hiccup's ire and causing his hackles to rise again in distaste. If one thing hadn't changed about Snotlout, it was that Hiccup still hated him, possibly even more than when he left. The slightly older boy hadn't grown much in his time away. He was still short and stocky, probably only coming up to Hiccup's chin. He had grown a thin beard like Fishlegs, but it only came off as disgusting to Hiccup. His ego had grown, for another thing. He wore a cape now, all fur, just like the chief. It was likely he was in line to inherit the tribe. The thought made Hiccup want to cringe and gag.

The twins, the blonde ones, hadn't changed much. They still resembled one another closely, though it would be more difficult for them to imitate one another as they had both finally come into the distinguishing traits of their respective genders. Perhaps the only true difference was that Tuffnut's hair was now in long blond dreadlocks.

Hiccup's steely gaze then passed to Astrid, who was leading them. She had changed as well, more than Hiccup would deign to admit. Her looks had changed a bit, and so had her clothes, from what he remembered of his childhood crush.

 _All in the past. You've been over her for years_ , he thought to himself. Besides the princess and the two on his team, any women in his life had been few and far between. That said, all had exceeded Astrid in most ways. All the blonde viking had going for her were her looks at this point, and those only went as far as the edge of the Archipelago.

As he himself had found out, the world was larger than just the cold seas of the viking lands, and there were many fish in the ocean.

Her head turned and she met his eyes for the second time in 24 hours. A part of him decided then that he didn't approve of her gaze and a growl rumbled its way out of his throat. He couldn't entirely help it. The growl came from a side of him that he shared with Toothless.

As if on cue, the growl increased in volume as the dragon's head poked over his shoulder and his eyes narrowed on Astrid. The girl seemed to start momentarily before frowning and turning away, almost haughtily.

 _I'll just avoid her_ , he concluded. If this was going to work, he'd have to meet himself halfway somehow. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jaeger's eyes telling him to relax. He dropped his gaze and the growl subsided.

~oOo~

Astrid hadn't intended on going into the Great Hall that morning, aware that the riders had been given lodging there for the night. She wasn't entirely too keen on facing them either.

However, as morning began to give way too Noontime, and she found herself in need of food, she began to realize she might not have much choice. Her friends too seemed to be against her. Their curiosity regarding the strangers had been thoroughly piqued, and they were planning on doing the least conspicuous thing they could think of in order to sate that curiosity.

In retrospect, it probably wasn't the least conspicuous thing; they were going to eat in the Great Hall so they could get a glimpse of the riders in a calmer setting. In other words, they were spying. And she couldn't have gone with a more conspicuous group.

Astrid wasn't leading them at first. But when they took five minutes to even get through the door, simply watching the other group chatting amongst themselves in another language through the small opening, she took charge.

Shoving one door open in front of them, the other flying open thanks to Snotlout actually following her lead for once, she strode inside, eyes darting around the room in search of the riders. Her eyes landed on the group sitting together hunched over a table and she nearly tripped over her own feet.

They were all staring at her. Even the shadow man. Though, the surprise quickly melted from his eyes and his head seemed to dip downward, almost dangerously. Seeing his change in posture, she looked away instantly and led the others to another table _far_ away on the opposite side of the room.

She kept her movements casual, though she could feel a cold sweat forming on her spine at their gazes. She hoped that her friends would continue to do as she did. If the other riders were anything like the one she had repeatedly encountered, they would be easily startled and could disappear faster than mist in the morning sun.

She selected her food and mead, taking a seat that would allow her to face the stranger's table if she wished to look. She picked at the food on her plate while the others continued to stare at the riders, who appeared to be on guard.

"Stop staring you numbskulls," she muttered, her voice laced with venom. They did as she asked, and she started on her meal. Almost as an afterthought, she happened to glance at the table across the way.

 _He was_ still _staring!_

She locked eyes with him, feeling oddly like an oblivious mouse in the sights of a vengeful eagle. She swallowed carefully, not looking away. Suddenly, his head dropped a bit lower, the shadows around his eyes darkening.

It was then that a sound reached her ears and reverberated around inside them.

He was _growling_.

At _her_!

The Night Fury's head appeared just above his shoulder and it narrowed its eyes on her as well, gaze clearly meant to be threatening..

Her sense of pride demanding that she not show her intimidation, she gave a small scoff and turned her head away, ignoring them. Casually, as if she couldn't hear the angry noise, she grabbed her fork and began to pick at the fish on her plate. She was vaguely aware of her friends' discomfort. All of them had paused in their eating, and were glancing around nervously. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who were seated with their backs to the stranger's table, tensed up.

Across from her, they gave her a questioning look. She swallowed and waved her hand to tell her that she was alright.

In that space of time, the growl had died away, giving her some relief. A part of her didn't dare look up to see if the shadow man had looked away as well. She picked at her food again, messing with the fish before scooping some of it onto her fork and bringing it to her mouth.

After a few mouthfuls, her warrior side had finally worked up enough courage to look at them again. Her eyes widened to see them now that her own group had been sufficiently intimidated.

There wasn't much difference between the two sets of friends. Without the threat of being burned through with a fiery gaze, Astrid could get her first decent look at the other four riders.

The first was a big, blond, burly man. He looked larger than the shadow man, though he struck her as somehow less dangerous. On his back he carried a metal staff, which looked very solid. She could see the tattoos on the left side of his face. It wasn't anything special, just a small tribal design near his eye.

Her eyes then traveled to the lighter haired girl sitting on the end across from the Shadow man. Her hair was tied back in a high and long ponytail, and she looked relaxed yet serious. Astrid wasn't sure, but she was fairly certain this woman could be dangerous if she wanted to be.

The pair of dark haired people, who appeared younger than the rest, and similar in looks, sat side by side next to the woman. The tattoos on their faces, covering their eyes, gave them a look of raccoons or bandits. They were slim and small from what she could see, likely favoring agile and speedy attacks. Their near identical appearances suggested to her that they were twins, much like Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

It was then that her eyes landed again on the shadow man. _Son Tannalus_ , she reminded herself. Watching him, careful not to get caught, she tried to add details to her growing list. When she had seen him up close, it had been dark. Now, in the well lit Great Hall, she could get a proper look at him.

His skin, which she originally thought to be fair, pale, was actually lightly tanned. His tattoos were indeed as she had known them to be, the design surrounding his left eye. Much like the twins, he appeared to be lean and agile, but she could tell he was much stronger than he looked. She had seen him - well, sort of - throw his own dragon. She watched him for a while longer, as he ate and listened to the whisperings of his friends.

 _When he isn't glaring and growling like a mad dog, he looks capable of acting like a perfectly tame human being,_ she thought with a sniff of disdain as she sipped at her mead. Finishing her food and resting her chin in her hand as she continued to stare, near transfixed, at him. He either took no notice of her, or he too was ignoring her gaze.

After a few more moments, the door banged open once again, breaking her out of her trance. Her gaze snapped to the doorway, which was currently filled with the members of the Berkian council. She watched them as they lumbered inside, Stoick in the lead.

He strode over to the rider's table without hesitation or any sign that he was intimidated by them. The shadow man stood and inclined his head slightly, likely out of marginal respect for the chief. Stoick too inclined his head for a moment, in respect for the stranger.

She saw the chief's eyes move over the group as he took a breath and spoke. "I trust you've had time to consider our proposal?" he inquired, folding his hands behind his back. The leading rider nodded.

"Yes, and we have reached our decision," he replied, voice still very deep, though the timbre was considerably more pleasing when he wasn't growling. Astrid mentally slapped herself at the thought. "We accept your deal."

Stoick brought his hands around in front of him and clasped them together. "Good. I'm pleased we won't have to undergo another five hours of negotiation," he said, his gravelly voice taking on a nervous and oddly cheery edge to it.

The rider crossed his arms over his broad chest and hummed in agreement. "As am I," he answered, "but I'm more interested in learning the specifics of the deal."

"Ah," Stoick started, his mood faltering back into his usual gruff way, "we decided who would be working with you fairly easily. We couldn't send children with you, obviously, and there's another training class already going on, so we thought it best not to interrupt that."

"So? Who _are_ we working with?" the younger man inquired. Astrid could tell by his posture that he was growing impatient. She scoffed again quietly, glad she wouldn't have to work with him.

"Berk's finest young warriors. That's them right over there," Stoick replied, gesturing over to Astrid's group. She froze for a moment, her shock paralyzing her. Almost involuntarily, her mouth opened and her brain attempted to rise to the occasion with a witty retort, but all words stuck in her throat.

She so did _not_ want to work with them.

With _him_.

He seemed just as enthused as she did, his oddly colored eyes wide with shock again. The shock disappeared and he fixed her with a resigned-yet-scathing glare. She sat back and crossed her arms, returning the look with matching fire.

This would not end well.

Not well at _all_.

 **A/N: Well, that's that. They don't like each other. I hope I got that across well enough. It's pretty clear that Hiccup doesn't like her, and she doesn't trust him, nor does she appreciate his antics. Speaking of which, you probably noticed the little "side he shared with Toothless" thing. Essentially, I just referenced how he's been bonded to Toothless. I'll go further into detail in later chapters, but for now I hope it sounds okay.**

 **I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend! I'll see you when I see you next!**

 **-IMSP, out! *finger guns* *sashays***


	12. Chapter 10 -- Fight Me

**A/N: "ANNND I'M BACK AGAIN!" cried IMSP with a monumental crash.**

 **Hi guys, how've ya been? Good? Bad? Ugly?**

 **I've been that last one for the last couple days, came down with a cold on Monday and just got back on my feet yesterday.**

 **As a result of that, I have had heaps of time to write (as I have nothing better to do apparently besides write and watch old Scooby-Doo Show episodes on the internet) and this chapter was produced. I admit it was one of the less easy ones to kick out as it involves some close-combat fighting and I couldn't get some of the dialogue quite right. Once again I would like to thank the wonderful mypettaylor for being my acting sanity check! :)**

 **ALSO! You may have noticed that I changed the image from the little Rinmarugames Star Wars avatar I created to resemble what I think Hiccup looked like for some artwork. It's Assassin's Creed, which I've never really involved myself in, but it fits, and I've grabbed two other images for the prequel and sequel.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter and that it doesn't suck too much!**

 **Lastly:**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, the artwork belongs to Chaoyuanxu of deviantart, this is purely for fun, all OCs belong to me.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 10 - Fight Me**

After a few moments of tension burning between the two groups, mainly between himself and Astrid, Hiccup had turned his back and returned to his friends. They had seemed to be about as pleased as he was. The group of young adult vikings had all but openly stared at them from across the room. None of them liked being watched, and Hiccup was no exception.

He had known that Astrid was watching him the whole time. She was so obvious in her staring that he didn't even have to see her to know where she was looking. He'd been annoyed, but he didn't particularly feel like starting a fight at the time.

Things had just gotten worse when they found out they were meant to be working with the viking "warriors." Hiccup snorted lightly in derision at the notion. They weren't warriors. They were fighters, yes, but they didn't have the experience needed in order to become true warriors. He might deign to call their parents or the Berkian council warriors, but not those he once called his "friends."

He was a warrior; trained in nearly five hundred different forms of combat and a master of more than half of them. He was armed to the teeth though they thought he carried nothing more than his two fancy swords and a dagger or two. In truth, he had weapons in every feasible location on his person. His skill set allowed him to mold himself into almost any occupation of fighting.

He would show them that he outmatched them, that he had outgrown them.

But that could wait until the morning.

Both groups had agreed to reconvene in the morning at the kill ring after a good night's sleep. The riders were given better lodgings than the floor of the Great Hall, namely a large, old building that had once served as a place foreign guests could stay during times of negotiations between tribes.

Hiccup had never thought that he himself would be staying in the lodge. Blessedly, it was made to be large enough to accommodate a large group of people, thus providing enough space for the five riders and their dragons. It was still a tight fit, but it was better than leaving their companions to freeze in the elements.

Each of them had forgone the beds, preferring to curl up with their dragons. Hiccup for his part had taken to the rafters with Toothless, nestling between the vertical and horizontal beams and hanging a leg down, near mirroring his dragon, who was sprawled like a panther across the same beam.

They had slept easily that night, though their training had forced them into remaining semi-alert, whether they liked it or not, so it never took much to rouse one of them.

The following morning, none of them had been in a very good mood to say the least. Each had dressed in their full armor before they had milled outside, the first streaks of sunlight igniting the horizon.

They had padded through the town on silent feet, following Hiccup's lead as he was the only one who knew the way. When they had reached the kill ring, each of them had wrinkled their noses in disgust at the sight and heavy scents of sweat and blood. They also noticed that they were the first to arrive.

However, soon after their arrival, Stoick had shown up, the five men and women meant to be trained on his heels. He had stayed for a few moments, speaking with them before he patted Snotlout on the shoulder and turned to the riders.

"I trust they will be well taken care of," he said, as though they were a brood of toddlers being babysat. Hiccup had to fight back a snort and chuckle at the thought that there wasn't much difference between the two. "Still, don't go easy on them. They can take near anything you can dish out."

And with that, he left.

The two groups, on the other hand, remained in a small staring contest from opposite sides of the ring. The silence hung heavily in the air between them, suspicion and disdain filling it.

Hiccup exhaled sharply before he spoke up. It didn't look like anyone was planning on getting past the "silent treatment" anytime soon.

"Before we get started, we should probably get introduced," he said, shifting slightly where he stood. Gesturing to his friends, he introduced them one by one. "I am Tannalus, captain of this squadron and a measure of the Draconian Black Guard, and member of the Draconian army. That is Jaeger, he is my second in command, and another high ranking warrior. That is Isra, she is a servant to the crown in a way. And they are Felicia and Valentino, two recent additions to our squadron, but no less valuable."

Turning back to face Astrid - as she was obviously the leader here - he crossed his arms again and, through his posture, made it clear that he expected introductions as a response. She looked thoroughly nonplussed by his friends, just as he was by hers. Still, she did as he expected.

"That is Fishlegs Ingerman, he's the smartest of us, and knows everything about all known dragons. That is Snotlout Jorgenson, heir to the tribe of Berk and one of the finest warriors. They are Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, two more fine and brave warriors. And I am Astrid Hofferson, _the finest_ warrior Berk has to offer of my generation," she replied. Hiccup did not miss the intonation of her voice when she mentioned her self-proclaimed title. He did his best not to scoff.

"Well, now that that's over and done with," he began again, effectively brushing her off, "do any of you have questions?"

Fishlegs raised his hand. Hiccup nodded to him. "I have a few, but I think the one everyone is wondering is: will we all be training together or will we be split up individually?" he inquired.

"A good question. Traditionally when dragon riders are being trained, they are apprenticed and taught one-on-one, then they are brought into a group so as to learn how to work effectively in a squadron. You will each be given a teacher, or you may choose. Then your teacher will show you the basics, unless there is more you wish to learn.

"However, after you have begun to learn in a group, you will still learn from your personal teacher. Does that answer your question?" he finished. When Fishlegs nodded, he looked to the rest of the assembled vikings. "Anything else?"

"I have one," Tuffnut interjected.

"Go ahead," Hiccup replied.

"Why do you all have tattoos on your faces?" he asked. Hiccup rolled his eyes. He would ask a question about that.

"Anyone have questions _on the topic of learning_ ," he specified.

Astrid stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What can you possibly teach us?" she inquired. "We were born warriors, and trained to be warriors all our lives. You don't need to teach us _anything_."

He smiled slightly at her seemingly provoked ire. She didn't scare him, not in the very least. "Is that so? You may be a fighter, but you're not a warrior. It would seem to me that you have a very narrow mind, Astrid Hofferson. You've only ever known this string of islands. I have seen the world and many more fights than you have," he replied, keeping his voice even.

"What's the difference between the two? Experience isn't everything. And so what? How do we know that the world isn't the same all the way around, and that everyone in it is the same?" she shot back. He raised a brow.

"One look at us and you should know your reasoning is faulty. It's clear enough that we're not the same as you. I'm nothing like you, and you're nothing like me. You may think you know the world and the way it works, but - believe me - you have yet to even scratch the surface," he replied, voice turning somewhat harsh. "And you are _no_ warrior."

His words, directed specifically at her, seemed to put her over the edge. She all but vibrated with rage, her face turning pink in her anger. Hiccup merely stood there unflinchingly in the face of it all.

"You're right! You're _nothing_ like me! You don't have the muscle to fight, nor the skill I'd wager!" she spat, her voice rising in pitch. "And I _am_ a warrior! The best Berk has to offer!"

He smirked slightly, her remark about his strength - which he chalked up to her intimidation and damaged pride being given voice - not fazing him in the least. "Are you a warrior, Astrid Hofferson? From here you look more like a spoiled infant throwing a tantrum," he drawled, folding his hands behind his back demurely and staring at her with a bored and slightly smug expression. She frowned even more than she had been, her cheeks flushing a bright crimson from anger.

"Is that a challenge?" she growled, her fingers tight around the hilt of her axe.

"That is for you to decide," he replied impishly, tilting his head slightly, letting a bit of his more mischievous side leak through his annoyed countenance.

"Armed or unarmed?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"You seem to be under the impression that I am unable to defend myself without weaponry. If that is the theory you plan to test, then the latter. Unless, of course, you're feeling a touch cowardly this morning," he replied, his manner further eliciting her aware that he was successfully pushing all the right buttons. He didn't dare glance at Jaeger, who was undoubtedly staring at him questioningly with his signature 'what-are-you-on-about' look.

He had just insulted her honor, several times in fact.

And, from what he recalled, there was _nothing_ that mattered more to her than honor.

In response, she dropped her axe, the weapon clanging to the cut stone floor. He watched it's fall before he looked back up at her and his lips twitched up slightly.

"I see you've made your choice, poor though it may be," he posited before stepping a small distance away, towards the center of the ring. Stripping himself of his swords and their sheaths, he threw his weapons to the ground with a clatter. Looking back up, he turned to face Astrid, seeing the confusion written on her features. "Come at me."

Her eyebrow shot upward under her hair. "E-Excuse me?"

"I said 'come at me.' Do it."

Seeming to ponder his order - slash - open invitation, she hesitated for a moment before she did as he had told her and she charged him. Without a weapon, she seemed to have difficulty. It was clear she knew very little martial arts combat, as opposed to him.

Her charge was sloppy, her hand simply drawn back to punch him. It might have worked on a viking, but it wouldn't work on him. He merely stepped to the side to avoid her charge altogether.

She turned and tried to get closer to him in order for one of her blows to meet its mark. He dodged every single one of them, stepping lightly and leisurely around and leaning back slightly when one of her fists became a bit overzealous. But he never returned a blow, instead keeping his hands behind his back or at his sides.

After about five minutes of this dance, Hiccup finally decided he'd had enough and began to push back. For the first time in the entire match, he planted his feet on the ground. Her hand came up fast, but he swung his up faster and caught it easily, causing her to gasp in surprise. He made it clear that he was about to switch from defense to offense and she acted accordingly. Probably her only saving grace in the entire fight.

From the step forward on, he began to confuse her strikes, catching them rather than avoiding them. She began to get frustrated and nervous, made obvious by the way she began to blindly strike out at him, her blue eyes wide and her breath short.

Finally, he caught her fist in his own as it was headed for his face. Holding it as tight as he dared without crushing it, he dropped low again, but this time he swung out with one of his legs, sweeping her feet out from under her. She yelped as he pulled her forward and past him. Her her head connected with the ground, though not hard enough to cause her much more than a light headache. He still held her hand tightly in his fist, but in her fall he had flipped her arm up and pinned it to the ground above her head. He realized suddenly that he was crouching over her, his face only a few inches from hers.

"It seems you underestimated me, Astrid Hofferson," he said quietly. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him nervously. He could guess what she was thinking. What would he do next? He released her hand and straightened up, lifting his left foot over her to join his right on the other side. "It would be unwise to make that mistake again."

He glanced over to where his friends were watching him with pride and approval and the young vikings were watching with their jaws slack in disbelief. A smattering of older vikings had gathered in the stands outside the ring, seemingly with nothing better to do.

Sighing, he ambled back over to where his swords were on the ground. Crouching down, he picked them up and carefully examined the blade for a moment before he returned both blades to their sheaths. He turned when he heard footsteps behind him and a roar of warning from Toothless. Astrid was running at full tilt towards him again, this time her axe raised high over her head.

Instinctively, he dodged to the side, avoiding the blade as it came down. With surprising strength, the viking shield maiden yanked the axe blade out of the stone ground it had gotten lodged in and charged him again. Focusing intently, and deciding not to pull any punches this time, Hiccup pulled both his swords out of their sheaths and held them low at his sides.

When she reached him, swinging her axe down in an arc with a war cry, he responded by bringing up both his blades and locking his arms. He met the hilt of her axe in such a position that he was able to lodge his sword edge in the wood. She looked shocked at his reflexive skills before trying to jerk her blade away. His hands were stronger, however, and he kept both their weapons in place for a moment to alert her to that fact, as well as the mistake she was making here.

She didn't seem to pay any attention to his warning, however, as she continued to pull on her axe. Finally, with a jerk of his own, Hiccup released their weapons. To put her off, he ran a few feet to put distance between them. She was smart, he'd give her that, but she didn't know him, or any of the skills he'd learned.

He waited patiently for a moment until she attempted to rush him again. He narrowed his eyes and began to run toward her to meet her halfway. She seemed to falter for a moment before continuing, her face a mask of determination. As she got closer, she began to swing her axe back in preparation to hit him, another battle cry growing in her throat.

Just before they met, Hiccup brought his own swords up to swipe both forward where the axe head joined with the hilt. It was not as finely made a weapon as those in Draconia, so he had no trouble slicing through the wood stick.

He moved quickly as the axe head fell to the ground and Astrid stopped. He danced around behind her, crouching low and kicking one of his feet out to sweep her feet out from under her again. She yelped as she fell, grunting when she hit the ground.

This time, instead of crouching over her, Hiccup bent forward slightly, but only enough to tower over her threateningly. He crossed his blades and slid the tips closer and closer to one another until they brushed the sides of her neck, just at the base of her jaw.

Her eyes stared up at him, a thin veil of bravado masking the fear in them. He could kill her, potentially, and - if he recalled the rules of single combat correctly - get away with it. His eyes narrowed on her and he pressed the blade edges further against her neck.

"I told you," he growled down at her, " _never_ make the mistake of underestimating me again." His voice was laced with a venom that surprised even him. He removed his blades from their threatening position, but as he did so, made certain to drag them gently across her jaw, causing a pair of thin red lines to appear. He straightened up to full height and

Walking away back towards him friends, he only paused for a moment to pick up the double sheath for his swords, sliding his blades into their respective places as he stepped up to them. They were looking at him with pride again, Jaeger shaking his head. He smiled at them, a bit sheepishly.

He happened to turn his eyes to the vikings and saw the pure awe, slight fear, and a vague admiration there. Snotlout was the first to speak.

"Y-You beat her," he said quietly. "Twice."

"How did you do that? How _can_ you do that?" Fishlegs inquired, more loudly. "You shouldn't be able to do that!" Hiccup laughed at his distress over what seemed to be an illogical victory.

"Well," he began when he had recovered, "I'm not exactly a talking fishbone, though I may look like one." Jaeger and his friends joined his laughter, the joke being one they had heard regularly. He noticed that Ruffnut and Tuffnut were the first to have warmed to them, the pair snickering quietly to themselves to avoid detection by the others.

 _Yeah, but you used to be_ , he thought to himself. He turned the potentially dark thought around by reminding himself how far he had come. It had certainly taken long enough, but he had eventually shaped himself into what he was now, something that he took great pride in.

He looked up and saw that the sun was already rising in the sky, higher than he would have liked. His smile fading, he turned to the gathered groups. "Alright, we don't have much time to train you. Only about two months to learn you the basics and get you on dragons," he stated, putting his hands on his hips authoritatively.

Nobody moved.

"Well come on! We're burning daylight! Pick a partner and get moving," he ordered, sending the four remaining vikings rushing forward to claim their teachers. Ruffnut and Tuffnut immediately went for the twins. Fishlegs seemed to consider Hiccup himself for a moment before deciding that Jaeger was likely more his speed. Snotlout, on the other hand, didn't even look at Hiccup before marching up to Isra; something the squad captain knew wouldn't end well.

But that left Hiccup alone. He turned to face where he had left Astrid, but she was gone. The only sign that she had been there was the broken axe abandoned on the ground. Sighing, he stepped over to the broken weapon and picked it up, examining the damage he'd inflicted upon it earlier.

A trip to the forge would be in order, it seemed.

He looked around, seeing that the groups had paired off and each were talking amongst themselves. His friends could take care of their charges from here; they were responsible adults when it came to basic training and they didn't need the watchful gaze of their captain. Especially since he was supposed to be training someone as well.

Walking through the ring towards the entrance ramp, he signaled for Toothless to follow him and the black dragon rose from where he had been lounging to slink after him. Stepping back out into the sunlight, Hiccup stopped for a second to reorient himself and remember which way he had to go. It had been ten years after all.

He turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat. His eyes fell on a familiar blond and overweight viking with a run down pegleg and prosthetic hand - currently of the hammer variety. _Gobber_ , Hiccup thought fondly, keeping his face carefully neutral as his one-time mentor approached him.

"That was some pret-ty fine fightin' if I do say so myself, boy," he commented, toying with his long, braided mustache, the hair having grown even more lopsided and bushier in the last ten years. Hiccup tilted his head forward once in an acknowledgement of the viking's praise.

"As I told her, I've seen many battles in my lifetime. I have a lot of experience with single combat," he replied, hoping to duck the conversation that the older viking was most likely trying to start.

No such luck.

"Aye, well, that's unsurprisin'. I'd wager you come from a long line 'o warriors and fighters, don'tcha?" the older man smiled. There was no way he was about to let Hiccup just walk off. Oh well, no harm in trying.

"You could say that," Hiccup said as he began walking across the bridge leading back to the village.

"You learned from yer father then?" the burlier man asked, stumbling as he limped to keep up with the much younger and much fitter man.

"No, I did not. My training was my own," he replied tersely, his anxiety showing through in the stiffness of his body. He didn't want to have to keep his facade up around Gobber all the time. He didn't like it. He also didn't want to lose his temper with his oldest friend.

He also didn't need Gobber blabbing to his father, if he discovered Hiccup's identity.

"I see you've got her axe there," the blacksmith remarked, nodding at the severed axehead and hilt in Hiccup's hands. The rider glanced down at them.

"I was planning on fixing them. A peace offering of sorts, since we need all the help we can get and I'm the only one available to train her," he replied as they began to reach town.

"Y'know, no one's beaten that lass since she was fifteen. Not since her time in Dragon training," the older man stated.

"Oh?" Hiccup asked, glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye a bit suspiciously. He raised his brow and narrowed his eyes at the man before reaching back and pulling his hood back up.

"That's right. Now, to change the subject, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the forge and you can get to work fixin' that axe," Gobber nodded, lengthening his stride to pass Hiccup.

The younger man paused for a moment, watching the older viking, who he just now noticed was showing the years wearing on him, in his shoulders and gait. Hiccup sighed, shaking his head gently before starting after the blacksmith.

 **A/N: And there we have it. Astrid got mad because she's basically Zuko and Hiccup broke her honor. The twins have found their kindred destructive spirits. Gobber is becoming aware...**

 **...wait.**

 **Pretend I didn't say that.**

 **Anywho, yeah, so, it looks like Hiccup's kind of stuck with Astrid at this point. Nobody's going to want to trade partners, believe me. Tannalus is a drill sergeant, as Astrid will soon find out.**

 **Before anyone asks: The axe is not going to be a "I'm-sorry-I-kicked-your-butt-this-morning-can-we-please-start-over-and-be-friends" thing. More like "here, I fixed your weapon, now let's go running. Twenty laps around the island."**

 **Just thought some of you would like to know.**

 **Well, I think I may have run out of things to say, which is not entirely a bad thing since I'm tired and need to go to bed, so I will wish you all a fond farewell, a goodnight, and I hope you all have a delightful rest of your week (for those of you in school I will say the Kaddish for you,** ** _especially those of you in Florida with all the EOC testing_** **)**

 **\- IMSP, out! *finger guns* tra la la! *kapwing!***


	13. Chapter 11 -- Chat with Gobber

**A/N: Sup guys, how's life? It's been a while now, hasn't it. I don't think I've posted anything since before school let out last week *le gasp*. Oh well, I'm here now and I will explain the reason for my tardiness in the next chapter**

 **This is the edited version of Chapter 11. I couldn't really think of a way to alter Hiccup's conversation with Gobbs, but I did add some stuff to his scene with Astrid. She's mad. Like** ** _really_** **mad. I believe "quietly fuming" is the term I'm looking for. ANyway, if any of you guys can think of a way to make the H/G conversation flow better, let me know in the reviews because I. Have. Nothing.**

 **...And I've been distracting myself with Tron: Legacy and Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction...**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, I'm just playing in the sandbox. Artwork belongs to chaoyuanXu of Deviantart. All OCs belong to me.**_

Hiccup had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe as he entered the darkened forge. It hadn't really hit him just how much he had grown over the years until that very moment.

The last time he had been there, he wouldn't have been able to touch the top of the doorframe even if he'd jumped. Now he was having to lean sideways so as to not hit his head on it. Gobber was still tall, though the years had only been marginally good to him, but Hiccup was taller now.

With a small smirk of satisfaction, he remembered that he was taller than his own father these days.

He paused at the entrance, watching Gobber's back as the older man moved into the center of the forge and began to fan the embers in the furnace, igniting the blaze once again. Hiccup glanced around briefly, noting that, aside from the mess, the forge had remained largely the same.

The cabinet containing Gobber's prosthetics was still in the same place, in a similar state of disarray as it had been before Hiccup had left. He had to fight the rising urge to walk over and organize it.

The tools were mostly still stacked in the same places, though many of them were lying about haphazardly where Gobber had left them the previous night before closing down the forge.

His eyes were drawn, against his will, to the back wall where his own smaller tool bench had been situated. His eyebrows nearly met his hairline when he saw that it was _still there_. Much of it was untouched, left the way Hiccup had kept it before he had left. In fact, he was fairly certain that some of the tools hadn't been moved from where he had put them.

His brain told him to stay away, but his feet wouldn't listen. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of his old work station. He smiled slightly, noting how small the tools were, how they'd been made for a person with much smaller hands than he had now.

Just as he reached out to touch one of them, he heard Gobber speak up behind him.

"I haven't moved 'em since you left 'em there," the older man said, taking a seat on a stool beside the anvil. "Well, most of 'em."

Hiccup stiffened before he turned to look at Gobber, trying his best to look quizzical and confused.

The older man was giving him a sage look as he used his time tongue to poke at the stone tooth he had to replace one that had fallen out before Hiccup had been born.

"I know it's you, Hiccup," he said, examining his prosthetic, which was now a sort of hook, "you think I would'a forgot?"

Hiccup sighed. If he didn't come out with it, Gobber would push until he did. "What gave me away?"

Gobber chuckled quietly. "I've known ye since ye were a wee babe in yer mother's arms. I watched ye grow, and I know how ye act. Or rather, how ye _used_ to act," he replied, smiling sadly at the floor. Hiccup's brows furrowed slightly at the older man's statement as a silence drifted over them. It hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, for a few moments before Gobber broke it.

"Ye didn't even say goodbye," he said quietly, causing Hiccup to look at him sadly. "Ten years, Hiccup. Ten years ye've been gone, and ye didn't even say goodbye."

"Gobber, I couldn't tell anyone," Hiccup interjected.

"Ye could've told me," the older man said quietly, looking at Hiccup with hurt in his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry Gobber, really I am," Hiccup started, feeling guilty all of a sudden, "but please try to think about what was happening at the time. My father had just disowned me because of my training a dragon, said dragon was about to get used to find the nest, and if said dragon was used to find said nest, my village and everyone in it, including you, would have been killed.

"And I couldn't tell you because I was afraid of how you would react. I was afraid that...you'd tell dad," he said, the last word leaving a rotten taste in his mouth.

Gobber smiled again without mirth. "Aye...yer probably right," he started reluctantly, shifting on his stool. "But even so, a goodbye note would've been nice at least."

Hiccup let a small smile slip onto his face as a silence fell over them again.

"...Ye changed yer looks," Gobber said softly.

Hiccup chuckled a bit, dropping his eyes to the floor before he answered. "Yeah, I did. Ten years will do that to you," he replied.

"Aye, that they did. I see yer wit is as sharp as ever," the viking surmised, giving Hiccup a wry smile.

The younger man snickered. "I see you're still as big a curmudgeon as ever," he snarked in reply. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter, crossing his ankles. Gobber laughed, reeling back slighting on his stool.

Another patch of silence slid between them, but this time is was companionable. Hiccup scanned the space, trying to see what was different.

"It's almost exactly the way it was when I left," he mused quietly.

"Well, if you'll recall, I don't change much, no matter what happens around here. The forge has always stayed the same, and it will until the day I die and another smithy fills my boots," he said vehemently. Hiccup couldn't help but smile.

It was true - even now Gobber and his forge were the only thing that had Hiccup found almost comfortingly familiar. He still didn't appreciate most of the memories he'd made here, but the forge had been his haven as a younger kid, more a home to him than his father's house. He could escape from his bullies there, and if they followed him, Gobber would be there most days to defend him. He'd taught him everything he knew about smithing, allowing Hiccup to discover something that he excelled in. It hit him then that Gobber had never been indifferent to him.

The thought broke something inside of him.

Gobber, despite his rough and callous exterior, had cared about Hiccup.

"I'm so sorry, Gobber," he said, his throat clenching slightly. To the right person, the words were not difficult to say, but that didn't mean they were hard to get out for other reasons. "I'm sorry I never said goodbye. I was too blind to see that anyone cared about me. I didn't see that you cared about me. I'm sorry."

Gobber looked up, a half-smile on his face. "I understand, Hiccup," he replied before sighing and changing the subject. "Well, looks like the furnace is all heated up. Gimme that axe head. We'll put it in and heat it up, and while we're waiting, you can help me organize me hands."

Pushing forward off the table, Hiccup handed Gobber the severed axe head and the blacksmith used a pair of tongs to rest it on the glowing coals of the furnace. He stepped back over to the cabinet, the various prosthetics hanging and lying haphazardly inside. Reaching forward, he righted the ones hanging, moving them back to where he recalled they belonged, and then he put the ones strewn on the shelf bottom back on their hooks.

It was much less difficult than it had been when he was younger. He recalled that many of the tools had been so heavy that he could barely lift them. Thankfully, his arms were no longer toothpicks, making his job exponentially easier.

By the time Gobber had wandered over, he was finished. The older viking's bushy blond eyebrows shot up his forehead. "I see you've not been having too much trouble with all that 'raw viking-ness,'" he snarked at the younger man.

Hiccup gave him a look. "Yes, Gobber. I think I've been keeping it contained just fine," he replied, doing his best to sound deadpan and not laugh.

The Viking laughed his signature mischievous chuckle and waved Hiccup toward the forge. "Alright laddie, let's see what you've got when it comes to forge work," he challenged. Hiccup smirked and snatched the tongs up from where Gobber had left them.

Moving quickly, he he grabbed the axe head out of the furnace and set it down on the anvil, looking at it critically for a moment before he grabbed an apron off a nearby hook and draped it over his front. He picked up a hammer and began to shape the rough edges of the melting blades, bending some of the material towards the center to thin the edge.

When he had it where he wanted it, he grabbed for the tongs again. He shoved one end under the axe and got a firm grip on the cooling metal. Picking it up with both hands, he carried it over to a barrel filled with water and dunked it in. Hot steam rose from the surface and Hiccup had to lean back to avoid burning his face. Again.

It had happened before.

After a few seconds, he removed the almost fully cooled metal and placed it back down on the anvil. Crouching down, he saw that the hole for the hilt was still relatively intact, but he had an idea for that.

"Hey Gobber, did you ever try welding the axe head to the hilt?" he asked, looking up at the smithy. The older man's brows furrowed and he looked almost insulted for a moment before he shook his head.

"No, we didn't. Figured the wood would burn to a crisp and couldn't find a way around it," he said. Hiccup looked back at his project for a moment, cupping his chin in his hand and running his index finger through the short stubble there.

He needed to shave soon.

Shaking the thought off, he focused on the matter at hand. He'd spent enough time in the forges in Draconia to have the experience of a master blacksmith, and he'd done something like this before. Then again, he'd had better materials in Draconia, namely blades made from a special metal titled "boulder iron", and hilts made from incredibly strong ironwood bark and branches.

Likewise then again, the trees on Berk _were_ remarkably fire resistant.

"Gobber, all the hilts here are made from trees on Berk, right?" he inquired, looking back up at the older man again. Gobber scratched his chin for a second before nodding.

"Aye, what's that got to do with anything?" he asked.

"Literally everything," Hiccup replied, straightening up and stepping over to another barrel a few meters away filled with what looked like shortened broomsticks. "The trees here are highly resistant to fire, but if I do this right, I could weld the hilt to the axe and her axe head wouldn't go popping off all the time."

Gobber looked at him curiously, but shrugged, reverting back to how things had been when Hiccup was younger. He let the boy do his work and carry on with his shenanigans, if only to see if they created anything useful. Which, he had to face it, most of the time they did.

Returning to the axe head, he pushed the hilt up into it and then stopped when the end came through the top. Picking both up again, he rested the axe head back in the furnace, and laid the hilt on the edge.

"Got any spare iron?" he asked, looking at Gobber for a third time. The smith ran a hand down his face.

"It's where it's always been. If ya keep this up, yer bound to clean me out," he replied, voice muffled by his hand.

Hiccup laughed and moved over to a desk littered with materials. He pushed the pieces of ore around for a couple seconds before picking up a decent sized chunk of the iron. He weighed it in his hand, tossing it to himself, before deciding it was worthy for his purposes.

Taking it back to the forge, he placed it in the furnace and waited for it to heat up.

Leaning against the wall, he looked to Gobber again, who had reclaimed his seat on the stool.

"So how have things been around here?" he asked, immediately regretting his words as soon as they were out of his mouth. If Gobber saw him cringe, he didn't let on.

"Eh, do you want the full story?" he asked, reaching his good hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

Hiccup thought for a moment. He hadn't intended to ask the question, but he had to admit that his curiosity was piqued - albeit against his better judgement. He nodded, "I think I have some time to spare."

Gobber seemed to ponder where to start for a moment before he met Hiccup's eyes again. "Do you want the _full_ story? As in the good, the bad, and the dirty?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Alright then," he began," well, to put it bluntly, after you left everyone celebrated. Everyone except your father and I. He was too busy brooding and I was too busy worryin' about ya."

Seeing Hiccup's wry devil-may-care expression, Gobber cleared his throat and moved on.

"After that, things settled back into routine. We still had dragon raids, and we were still battlin' the outcasts, and yer father was still tryin' to find the nest. It was like that for a few years, and then something happened," he went on, drawing Hiccup's attention. "The dragons stopped coming so often, and then they didn't come at all. We only ever saw them one or two at a time, and they never attacked.

"There was some confusion, but, even while we adapted to the peace, we still kept our defenses up," he said, pausing to rub his chin and collect his thoughts.

"Ah! That's when the teens really began to work hard at becoming better fighters. Well, better hand to hand fighters. Astrid, of course, took the lead. She's been trying to prove that she's the best at everything since you left. So far, she's succeeded," he said, looking at Hiccup.

He snorted. "She doesn't even come close."

"I agree," Gobber put in, "she's gotten too big a head, bein' the "best Berk has to offer." You'll find her idea of honor's inflated itself too. She loses at one thing and she makes it her life goal to become the best at it."

"I'll do my best to put her in her place," Hiccup replied, smirking. Gobber chuckled.

"You do that. Jus' make sure ya don't break her when ye do," he said, "now, where was I? Ah yes! Well, aside from the dragon attacks stoppin', everythin' continued as normal. We still had the Thawfest games and the annual regatta.

"It wasn't until a couple months back that the dragons started comin' back. It was just a little at first, so we figured it was nothin', went about our daily lives. Then they came back. And again. And again. And again. We weren't real sure what was goin' on, but we knew we were in serious trouble. Then you showed up last week and you know the rest," he finished.

Hiccup nodded. A part of him was in shock that he'd been on Berk for a week already. He'd been hoping to solve the problem quickly, but it hadn't happened. The Great Queen was much more formidable than he had thought.

"Well, I think my souffle is ready," he said, turning to the furnace and grabbing the tongs. He pulled the glowing hot iron out and set it on the anvil. Looking up, he saw Gobber looking at him quizzically, and realized that he had no idea what a souffle was. "I-It's a joke," he said, only to be waved off by the other man. He gave a small laugh before he grabbed a hammer and dowel and began working.

When it was shaped, he stepped back over to the furnace and removed the axe, and reformed any part of the blade that was out of shape.

Carefully, he placed the melting hot sphere over the piece of the hilt that was sticking up out of the blade. Molding it over the wood and connecting with the still hot metal of the blade, he made sure the seams were near invisible before he picked up the axe and brought it over to the water barrel.

When he pulled it back out, he smiled. He was still as good at making axes as he had been before. He looked at Gobber, who was nodding.

Looking back at the axe, and examining it critically once again, he realized there were a few other ways he could make it potentially better…

~oOo~

Astrid was lying face up on her bed, staring at the blackened boards making up her ceiling. Her arm was thrown over her forehead, where it had previously been thrown over her eyes.

She couldn't believe she had done that.

It _was_ stupid. He was right. She shouldn't have attacked him like she had. And it had been so easy for him. He had hardly broken a sweat while she had been throwing her all into the fight.

About halfway through the second fight, when he had revealed that he was much stronger than he looked, she finally realized she was very much out of her depth. She had begun to regret letting her rage get the better of her and hadn't registered his moving behind her. In fact, she hadn't really registered much until he swept his feet out from under her again she her head hit the stone.

Then his swords were pressing against her jaw, making it hard to breathe.

By the rules of viking single combat, he technically had the right to end her life if he wanted to. She had attacked him without a warning, not even issuing a challenge.

But he hadn't.

No, instead he had opted to chastise her and give her two identical hairline cuts just beneath her jaw.

After he had walked away, she'd been in shock. Snotlout and Fishlegs had voiced her thoughts, however frenzied they were. She couldn't think, couldn't move.

And then he laughed.

She felt humiliated and burned. Her eyes had drifted to the broken axe lying prone and forgotten on the ground a few feet away from her.

Not able to think about anything about her now damaged reputation and honor, she hadn't even bothered to pick it up before she got up and ran off.

She wasn't paying much attention to where her legs were taking her, so she found she was relieved when she discovered they had brought her home.

She had flung the door open, slammed it shut, and then raced up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming that door shut too.

So, there she was. Her head had cleared after about an hour of wallowing in her confused and distraught state, leaving her feeling bitter and angry at the presumptuous stranger. She frowned and rolled onto her side, crossing her arms and loosely pulling her knees up.

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to avoid the rage that had caused her to make her foolhardy charge at him while he had his back turned. Much as she hated to admit it, he might not show her the same "mercy" the next time she made an "unwise" mistake.

 _Knock, Knock, Knock!_

Her eyes flew open at the sound of someone's fist against her front door. Everything went silent again, so she waited. Maybe they would go away if she pretended she wasn't in.

 _Knock, Knock, Knock!_

She screwed her eyes and muttered a prayer to Odin that whoever it was would just give up and leave her alone. She really wasn't up to being bothered at the moment.

 _BAM, BAM, BAM!_

"ALRIGHT ALREADY!" she shouted, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and marching towards her bedroom door. She stomped down the stairs, growling and mumbling curses under her breath, and made for the door.

Her hand on the knob, she paused to take a breath and collect herself. Then, she yanked the door open enough to poke her head out.

What she saw there gave her mixed emotions.

All of them had something to do with anger.

Standing on her doorstep was none other than Son Tannalus, in full armor with his hood up, holding an axe.

She did her best not to rip the heavy door off its hinges and throw it at his head.

But it wasn't just _any_ axe. To be specific, it was her axe. The one she had left broken in the arena. At the same time, however, it was different. The hilt was welded into the base of the axe, and the blade shone brightly from being recently sharpened. Glancing down, she noticed that the hilt was now wrapped in leather as well.

Tannalus cleared his throat and she looked up, meeting his eyes with a scathing look. He didn't appear at all fazed.

"What in Odin's name are you doing here?" she growled, itching to dart behind the door to fetch the sword that she knew was resting on the wall there.

"You forgot this," he said, turning the axe and adjusting his hold on it so the hilt faced her.

"It was broken. I didn't see a point in taking it," she replied through gritted teeth, making sure to keep her rage in check, but still allowing it to simmer in her stomach. He cocked his head to one side. She clenched her hand behind the door, her fingernails leaving little crescent marks in her palms.

"That's funny," he said dryly, his eyes never moving from hers. She lifted an eyebrow.

"How is it funny? Wouldn't you discard a broken weapon?" She rebutted, putting her free hand on her hip and opening the door more.

"Not unless it was damaged beyond any repair, and certainly not one that obviously held some sentimental value," he answered, still holding the axe out to her. Her eyes widened and her other eyebrow rose to meet the first, though the rest of her features remained doggedly neutral.

"And why, pray tell, would you think it has sentimental value for me?" She inquired sarcastically, dropping one eyebrow again and looking annoyed.

"Well, you bring it home with you for one thing, instead of leaving it at the ring or the armory. It was decorated from what I saw, and sharpened with a whet stone rather than a grind wheel, suggesting you do it yourself," he explained, examining the weapon as he did so, "and since Gobber is the best blacksmith on Berk and has been since before you were born, I wouldn't think that you don't take it to him because you don't trust him."

She was inwardly sweating by the time he was done and had fallen silent, his facial expression making it look like everything he had just said was purely logical and like anyone would know it.

"Fine. I'm really not sure I want to know how you know all that," she said, sighing and opening the door fully. Even with all his irksome traits, which he seemed to have a great deal of, she had admit, begrudgingly, that he was on point. It had been her mother's axe. She reached out the hand that had been holding the door and gripped the offered hilt.

It felt good in her grasp as he let go of his end and she accepted the full weight of the weapon. It was mostly the same, but felt somewhat more precisely balanced. The leather on the hilt made it easier to grasp as she gave it a couple careful swings, making sure the blade passed a bit too close to his legs for comfort. Not close enough to hurt him, but she wasn't unnerving him like she'd hoped. Huffing, she brought the blade end up to inspect it, noting that the normally rough metal had been impeccably sharpened and smoothed.

A thought managed to weasel its way to the front of her mind. Her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed at him when she looked back up to him. "You're a blacksmith?" she asked, her voice becoming laced with suspicion. He shrugged and made a noncommittal noise in his throat as he looked back at her, green eyes half-lidded.

"I suppose. I did some part time work in the forge back in Draconia. It was sort of a hobby," he replied, giving his arms a lazy stretch. She quirked a brow but didn't push it.

"Hmph," she grunted, turning the axe and jamming the pointed edges into the wood of her doorstep. She folded her arms and rested them atop the hilt of the axe, leaning on it. "I would assume that the others are already paired up."

He nodded curtly to affirm her statement.

"Fine. Then I suppose the only one left to 'teach' me is you," she continued, looking away from him and back to the view beyond his left shoulder. The village was empty, and a part of her was relieved. No one was there to witness her new rival standing on her doorstep, seeming to gloat about his victory.

It wasn't what was happening, but if word got out, then within a day or so, that would be the story circulating the small village.

"That would be correct," he replied, straightening his back fully before crossing his arms, "but I'm not going to be accepting of any trouble that you might give me. Is that clear?"

She frowned, but figured it would be in her best interests to go with it.

"Perfectly," she ground out.

"Relax. It's not like you'll be under my thumb twenty-four-seven, but, if you test me, you _will_ fail. And believe me, I'm _certain_ I can find better things to do than teach someone who doesn't want to be taught," he said, growling the last part.

"Believe _me_ , if you have something to teach, I'll learn. And I'll learn fast," she replied with determination, taking a half step forward and feeling confident because the doorstep helped her match his height. She would not be intimidated.

He smirked for a moment.

"Then let's get moving. Like I told the others, we have less than two months and we're already burning daylight," he said, turning and jumping off the steps leading to her door before looking back to her. She hesitated.

"Well, come on," he summoned, sounding bored already. She sighed and stepped out of her house, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she replied grumpily, following him as he started off in the direction of the forest. As she watched his back, though, she couldn't help but let her mind wander.

 _Hiccup was a blacksmith._

 **A/N: ...Since this is a repost, I'm just going to make this real short: was it okay? Did I miss any errors? Anything I need to go back and fix? Again, let me know if you choose to review!**

 ***Finger guns* IMSP, out!**


	14. Chapter 12 -- Breaking

**A/N: And here I am again, third time in the same day. I don't know if you guys get alerted when I update a chapter and don't actually up** _ **load**_ **a new installment, but I edited the Glossary and the previous chapter, so yeah, third time here today. Woot woot!**

 **I must admit, recently the PMs and the reviews have been sort of nervous, wondering if I have stopped writing this, and I just want to say, right now, that no, I have not stopped writing this and I don't plan to cop out until it's done.**

 **However, I am working on a personal project: a sci-fi novel. And I am also working on a dual project with a friend of mine. So I may not have as much time to update this as I'd like. There are only so many hours in a day...**

 **Still, I don't plan to leave this story on its own when it is completed. I think I may go on a hiatus, maybe a couple months, when it is done, and then get busy on the Prequel. That's the plan at least.**

 **Now (gosh I'm noticing this is getting long O_O), back to the reason I've been on her three times today:**

 **I didn't want to leave you guys hanging.**

 **I don't know if it's just me, but I get alerted when someone replaces a chapter of a fic. And if it's a really,** ** _really_** **, good fic, then that's annoying to me. I didn't want to do that to you guys, so I've spent the last couple weeks writing this chapter along with editing and rewriting the last chapter and glossary.**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry about that. I'm done.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, I'm only playing in the sandbox. Artwork belongs to chaoyuanXu of Deviantart. All OCs belong to me.**_

 **Chapter 12 - Breaking**

Astrid's legs were killing her again.

However, the pain wasn't unwarranted.

It was barely after the break of dawn, what her teacher called 6:00 in the morning, and she had already run three, almost four, laps around the entire island of Berk. Sweat was pouring down her face and back, and she had already stripped off her armor, hood, and fur bracers. She refused to remove her boots and risk hurting her feet, and her teacher refused to let her break to change her clothes.

"Unless you have a problem that causes you to pass out from your own body odor, then you can manage," were his exact words.

She was pretty certain that he had some convoluted motive behind this, likely involving her attacking him two days prior.

Judging by the way he seemed to be running ahead of her with almost contemptuous ease, she was almost _entirely_ certain.

She gritted her teeth as she continued to power her way across the beach that seemed to sprawl for miles in front of her. Just ahead was the figure of her instructor, running easily in full robes and armor. He had accompanied her on her morning runs the last two days, seeming to feel that he needed to keep an eye on her to make sure she was doing as he said.

She hissed at the thought and the jabs of pain spearing up her legs.

If the last couple days were anything to go by, they wouldn't have much of a break before he moved onto their next exercise.

As she continued to begrudgingly follow after the dark clad and aggravating man, she couldn't help but wonder what it was all for. Why the running? Why the exercise? She was already fit. She didn't need to test her body to the limit to know that!

In sync with their last running patterns, he veered off to the left, towards the slope in the cliffs where they could access the village. She forced her feet out of their acquired pattern and pushed herself to make the uphill climb.

As soon as her feet touched the grass, she managed to run more easily. It was the sand on the beach that made it difficult to run. Unclenching her jaw so she could take bigger breaths, she did her best to charge forward and match her teacher's pace.

After a moment, her vision began to blur slightly and she felt her chest constricting as her head became light and foggy.

Finally, she shut her eyes for just a moment. She slammed into something and the wind was knocked out of her. She coughed and gasped for breath, collapsing to the ground.

As she gradually managed to drag in enough air, she felt a shadow come over her. Looking up, she saw her teacher, Tannalus, crouching above her with a water skin in one hand. Once she had regained her bearings enough to sit upright, he held it out to her.

She accepted the offer and began to drink the water.

"Careful," he warned as she began to take large swallows, "if you drink too much too fast, you might make yourself sick."

Taking the flask away from her mouth, she glared at him. "And we certainly wouldn't want that, now would we?" she snarked.

 _It's probably the only way I'd be able to get out of doing stuff like this, and even then I'm not sure,_ she thought.

He seemed to read her mind. "But hey, if you want to spend your morning repeatedly losing your breakfast, or in your case, whatever you had for dinner last night, then that's your decision. I'm sure I can find something to occupy my time with," he said, shrugging his shoulders and intoning his voice in a way that made her think he was laughing at her.

She frowned, doing her best to rein in her temper and sighed. "Can we at least take a minute so I can catch my breath?" She inquired, doing her best to do just that. She wasn't sure that she had ever run so hard or so far in her life. Yes, she had done laps around the island before, but never to the point of exhaustion. Tannalus shrugged again and lowered himself to the ground completely, half lounging in the early morning light.

A silence fell over them, it was not companionable, nor was it awkward. A bit tense due to the resentment that Astrid did her best to make clear she held for him, but it was mostly just quiet. A pause in the conversation, terse and infrequent though it was. It was Astrid who spoke first, voicing the questions she had been asking herself earlier.

"What purpose does my running around the island until I collapse serve to teach me?" She asked, looking to her teacher. He had leaned back in the grass, propping himself up with his hands behind him. He slid his eyes, a greenish-yellow in the light, over to her and pushed himself forward until he was sitting nearly upright.

"Well, you're not slow of foot, that's for certain. It had more to do with discovering your level of endurance and how long you can go without passing out from an increasing lack of oxygen," he answered. Astrid was still confused.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"It's going to determine what kind of dragon would be best for you to ride, as well as your overall chances of succeeding in a ground battle," he replied, again making it sound annoyingly like it was the most obvious solution.

"Okay, first of all, I have some questions. It's been two days and you haven't explained nearly enough to me," she said before bringing the water skin back to her mouth and taking another drink. Tannalus sighed.

"Took you longer than I thought, but it happened," he muttered, though loud enough for her to hear. She shot him a glare before lowering the water skin again.

"You know, you're always talking about how you're certain there's something better you could be doing with your time," she growled.

"Yes, but would that answer your questions?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She frowned and rolled her eyes, thinking up what would be best to ask him first.

"I think the most important question I can think of at the moment is what are you?" she said, meeting his eyes again, finally allowing the hesitant curiosity that he had known she'd been hiding to show through.

He seemed to think for a moment.

"Well, for starters, we're dragonriders, of course. But that's obvious enough," he paused for a moment. "It's a bit difficult to explain, what my people are. It would involve explaining the majority of our culture, but I can tell you what I and my friends are."

She nodded, signalling for him to go ahead.

"Among my people, I am what is known as a Black Guard," he started, "that means I have the status of an elite warrior, highly trained in use of a great amount of deadly weapons and fighting techniques. As such an elite warrior, I and the others of my same status, are tasked with defending our city from attackers.

"A handful of us are given the honor of working directly for the royal family, as their hands, eyes, and ears. We travel out into the world to evaluate and neutralize threats, or settle issues as ambassadors. On top of that, some of the most skilled and most trusted Black Guards are given the duty of protecting the royal family.

"Among the Black Guard, I am a captain of a leading squadron, made up of my friends," he finished. Astrid simply sat there for a long moment, just staring at him until her brain finally processed all he had just told her. When it finally clicked, she found it explained several things.

"That explains how you were able to beat me," she said quietly. From what she could gather, he was more than just a warrior in a single sense. No, he encompassed the full range of terms. _Evaluate and neutralize threats?_ It dawned on her then - he was a spy, an assassin, someone who, if she didn't know better at this point, was a ruthless killer.

Her mind forcefully brought up memories of the night she had seen him take on Alvin as well as the better part of the entire Outcast invasion force.

She shuddered, remembering the waves of fear that had washed over her when she saw what he was capable of that night. She looked back to him again, studying his features, wondering what had made her forget the fear and unease and awe he had instilled in her.

All in all, he was not what she thought of when she pictured a warrior. In any sense.

No, when she pictured a warrior, she thought of a man, seasoned in battle, perhaps covered in huge scars from wounds that ought to have been fatal, with a large beard, greying of course, and likely missing an eye.

When she pictured a spy or assassin, she could only think of a thin, lanky figure, dressed in a dark cloak, moving from shadow to shadow, walking on rafters on feet as silent as a cat, a dagger perpetually in hand.

Leave it to him to break _all_ of her conceived perceptions. About everything.

Aside from his oddly colored eyes, and the tattoo around the righthand one, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the man. He had both eyebrows, though the hair broke up in places where a scar or burn cut evenly through. A small double scar on his left cheek, the marks too even to have been acquired on two separate occasions. Aside from a few other small nicks and other short hairline scars, he lacked any particularly outstanding features. No, he looked perfectly normal.

She narrowed her eyes and continued to scrutinize him, not caring that she was staring. _What was it about him…_

"Are you going to keep staring at my face or did you have more questions?" he asked, jolting her out of her thoughts.

She met his eyes again for a brief moment, seeing that they were still half-lidded and bored, but not put off by her examination.

She cleared her throat and did her best to salvage her composure before she started with her next question.

"You mentioned something about ground battles and dragons. What did you mean by that?" she inquired.

"I meant exactly what I said," he replied, "you'll be up against both humans and dragons, so you have to be able to fight both."

Astrid raised a brow at that. "You fight dragons, too? But you ride dragons," she said, beginning to feel confused. He tilted his head minimally in a way that told her 'more or less.'

"We do ride dragons, but not all of them are sentient or possess a basic sense of morals," he answered.

Astrid reached a hand up to rub her forehead. "Sentient? Morals?" she repeated. It was all so new to her.

He nodded once. "Yes. There's a difference between a dragon and a dog, isn't there?" he inquired, seeming to wait for her answer. She gave a noncommittal nod.

"I suppose so…" she answered. _Dogs generally aren't large enough to swallow a grown man whole._

"It works the other way too. You don't see everyday dragons trying to enslave a race or destroy everything indiscriminately, do you?" he asked, seeming semi-pleased with her response.

She thought for a moment. "No...but what does that have to do with anything?" she queried in reply, voice rising in pitch.

He looked away from her and sighed. "Everything. Most dragons are just dragons, they possess a certain type of intelligence and understanding. I suppose one might compare them to horses, but even they possess a lower intellect.

"However, there are dragons who are better compared with animals such as wild dogs or sharks, lacking any intelligence beyond what is needed for survival. Other dragons, ones too intelligent for their own good, and giants in terms of size and strength, are more comparable to the overlords of the animal family.

"Many of them hate humans and enslave other dragons through sheer force of will in order to exterminate us," he finished, staring off at the horizon.

It took Astrid a moment to realize that her jaw had fallen open slightly while he was explaining his analogies. She paused to think for a moment, sifting through her questions and slating ones that were currently unimportant for a later date. Deciding on the most pressing question, she spoke.

"What about the people?" she asked, "who are the people you fight?"

Tannalus shrugged again. "Well, generally any human who tries to enslave dragons to do their will. Anyone who tries to invade Draconia or pick a fight with us. And members of the Black Guard are usually quietly sent out to deal with public upheaval and unrest in neighboring areas," he explained.

This time, Astrid found herself nodding. It was perhaps the simplest answer he had given her. She thought for a moment over the words he'd used. Public upheaval and unrest. The place he came from, wherever it was, sounded dangerous.

 _Yet another factor explaining why he's so skilled a fighter_ , she reasoned.

"Well, I think we've established that I can fight," she acknowledged, though she felt her ire spike again as he made another noncommittal sound and turned his head to look away from her. "Still, you're supposed to be teaching me how to be a dragon rider, like you."

He looked back at her, one broken eyebrow lifted in a sarcastic fashion. "And your point is?" he asked, looking thoroughly bemused.

She huffed. "So, when am I going to learn how to train dragons? Like you?"

He laughed, a short bark of a laugh.

"I'm not going to teach you that _just_ yet," he replied, traces of humor still in his voice, "though you seem to have a decently good grasp of how to fight dragons."

She raised an eyebrow, near mirroring his expression. Partly from annoyance.

"No, first I'm going to teach you how to break dragons," he finished shortly, pushing himself to his feet languidly and stretching his hands high over his head. "Speaking of which, come on. We've wasted enough time sitting here, and you don't want to be late for your first lesson, do you?"

She stared at him for a moment in confusion. Then, rallying herself, she grimaced and groaned as she got to her feet, somewhat less gracefully than he had. She stretched as well, noting that the pain in her legs had dissipated a great deal. She just hoped she wouldn't have to spend an inordinate amount of time on her feet for the rest of the day.

~oOo~

Hiccup turned towards a stone wall and inwardly screamed, but he prevented himself from smashing his face into the surface.

It had been nearly four hours and Astrid had made almost no progress. He was growing tired of her stubborn attitude and it was only 10:30 in the morning. She was by far the worst beginning student he had ever had the misfortune to teach.

Turning back around, he saw Toothless wearing a similar expression. It had taken nearly a half hour's worth of cajoling to get the Night Fury to work with him. He needed to demonstrate to Astrid the proper way to gain a dragon's trust and friendship, but she had suddenly become obstinate.

More than usual.

He ran a hand down his face as Astrid tried again to approach Toothless the proper way and failed. She refused to back down in one way or another, she didn't show him respect of both his sentience or his personal space. She moved too fast and too erratically, something that would likely get her killed if she tried to approach a wild dragon. Sometimes she outright refused to put her weapon down.

Of course, he had only been able to show her using Toothless as a model. If he wanted to teach her, the best way would be to demonstrate with an actual, relatively untamed dragon.

Hiccup looked around at the cage doors lining the walls before glancing to Astrid, who was starting another approach. Stopping her, he said, "Are there any dragons in those cages?"

She flicked her eyes to him for a moment, doing her best to inch her way into Toothless's vision. The Night Fury snorted, bored out of his skull and ready to just start ignoring her. "Yeah, there are," she replied as she straightened and looked at him fully.

"What breeds?" he asked, reaching up to rub his chin thoughtfully. She looked at the doors and seemed to think.

"Well, there's almost always a Monstrous Nightmare. Usually a Gronkle and a Nadder. I can't really say if the other two are occupied or not," she answered stepping over to where her axe lay on the ground and picking it up. It had taken nearly half an hour to convince her to approach Toothless without the weapon, so Hiccup grimaced when he saw her.

"I suggest you stay off to the side," he said, moving to the largest door and looking at it. The metal was scorched, much like the rest of the ring. He reached out and ran his finger down a spot where the surface was scarred from a heavy burn. Pressing his ear to the door, he tentatively rapped on it with two knuckles.

A snarl and snap of jaws on the other side caused him to push away from it. The Monstrous Nightmare.

"Toothless," he called over his shoulder, "make sure he doesn't get past you."

A growl of affirmation was the only response aside from the sound of Astrid protesting the Night Fury moving in front of her.

"Open the Nightmare door!" Hiccup shouted up to whatever villager was loitering in the stands. A head popped out over the edge of the arena and gave Hiccup a quizzical look.

"The Nightmare door!?" came the bewildered response. Hiccup sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, open the Nightmare door and clear out if you're afraid," he replied.

The face disappeared.

He heard the loud clanking of the chain the viking he had called to began to release the lock on the door. He backed away a suitable distance, recalling the last time he had encountered one of these creatures. He withdrew his swords from their sheaths and placed them on the ground, making certain that any other weapons he had were out of sight or with his blades.

Not a moment later, the door to the Nightmare cage burst open and the dragon roared in rage. It was a brightly colored beast, much like the one he had faced ten years prior, but this one was different. It was a deeper, more brilliant red and sported several age marks that told Hiccup it was much too old to be the one he had faced previously.

Still, it was in it's prime. And angry at that. He slid one foot back and hunched forward slightly, lifting his hands into a defensive position.

The dragon, having lit itself on fire, shot a blast of near-liquid fire in a threat display before bellowing and moving to leap onto the walls of the arena.

Hiccup responded to the roar with a challenge of his own, effectively drawing the creatures attention. It turned it's blazing yellow eyes on him, the pupils narrowed to slits as it assessed the threat the seemingly small human posed.

The long head lowered threateningly, prompting Hiccup to do the same, he moved into a position that would hold the dragon's attention and held his ground. The Nightmare growled, eyes narrowing on him as the flames on its body dispersed and died out.

It was still angry, which didn't surprise the rider in the least. He needed to diffuse the situation before he would be able to "tame" the dragon, or at least break its connection with the Queen.

 _No father here to stop this now_ , he thought as he slowly moved his left hand out away from his body and waved it, testing the dragon's attention span. It briefly flickered it's eyes to the hand before staring back at Hiccup, who continued to maintain eye contact with it.

Slowly, he began to sway from side to side, shifting his weight from foot to foot and watching as the dragon's pupils began to grow slowly but surely. Carefully, he shifted until he was moving around the dragon, which followed him.

He lifted his right hand up from where he had locked it in front of him and held it out to the dragon, making sure to seem less threatening, relaxing his shoulders and back and standing in a less hunched over manner.

He slowly began to sidle up to the dragon, taking long but hesitant steps as he reached out with his hand. The Nightmare snorted but he let Hiccup get closer.

The dragon didn't have a small blind spot right under his nose like most other dragons did, so Hiccup had to simply approach cautiously and rest his hand on the snout.

Once he had come within centimeters of the dragon's nose, he did just that, averting his eyes to the ground and laying his hand on the rough scales gently.

He looked back up to see the dragon staring happily at the hand, pupils dilated in a puppy-like excitement. It took a moment, but the snout beneath his palm began vibrating and he could hear the low thrum of a purr echoing from the creature.

Hiccup smiled at it before he reached his free hand to his belt and removed one of the emitters, turning it on for a brief second before deactivating it again.

" _There, you're free_ ," he said quietly in the Draconian tongue he'd used enough for it to be his first language.

As he drew away from the dragon, he looked up to hear the sounds of cheers and excitement from above. He looked up with a confused expression to see many of the villagers gathered around the ring, as well as his friends and their students, looking rather excited.

"Glad we didn't miss the show!" Jaeger shouted, Hiccup barely able to hear him above the noise. He grinned at his friend, but his smile quickly fell when he saw his father. He was standing there, a look of shock on his face.

The younger man couldn't blame him. Everything he had always believed impossible had just taken place before him. Whether he knew it or not.

His son had just tamed a wild dragon right in front of him.

Hiccup wasn't sure he should take pride in the feat or not. Shaking it off, he turned to Astrid who had, surprisingly, done as she had been told and stayed behind Toothless for the entire fight, though she had watched.

"That is how you break a dragon," he told her, "though, admittedly, after a while you learn some shortcuts, which I'll likely teach you. There are faster methods."

"I was paying attention the entire time, but...what did you do?" she inquired.

Hiccup sighed in exasperation.

 **A/N: So, what did you think? I'm sure some of you are wondering what Hiccup means by "break," and in this case, it's sort of, blended, I want to say...I'm a writer but I suck at explaining things. You can think of it as a combination of two aspects if you want. 1.) Breaking a horse, or 2.) breaking them from the control of a Queen or Alpha. I looked up what it means to break a horse, and the general consensus, that I saw at least, was that it generally means getting a horse accustomed to a rider or carrying a rider or having a saddle on its back. I figured it was a loose description, but it was the best I could come up with so far.**

 **Anyway, if you have any other questions, let me know in the reviews or PM me!**

 **Also:** ** _GUYS I FOUND THE FIC WHERE I GOT THE "COFFEE KEEPS ME AWAKE TO WRITE, BUT REVIEWS KEEP ME MOTIVATED TO WRITE" THING!1 IF YOU'RE A TRON FAN, AND YOU LIKE TRON/OC PAIRINGS, LOOK UP TRON: SALVATION BY FallenAngel2013! It is the best thing EVER!_**

 ** _\- IMSP, Out! *fingerguns*_**


	15. Letter of Apology

**Author Apology Letter**

 **Dear readers,**

 **I want to thank all of you who have read** _ **The Shadow Rider**_ **and followed and favorited and reviewed. I have appreciated every single notification I have gotten, even over the last couple months I have been absent.**

 **Yes, I am still in fact alive. I know I said that I planned to finish this story before I took my little hiatus, but it seems to have happened a little earlier than I realized. Summer was shortened in my school district and I found I had little time to spend writing this story. Actually, I hardly touched this story for two months.**

 **Secondly, I want to sincerely apologize to those who just started following me recently. Like, last night recently. Someone just reviewed and requested something and I feel really bad about doing this.**

 **About three weeks ago, I realized I hadn't updated and went back to write some more because I felt awful for leaving you guys in the lurch. However, in the process, I happened to read the previous chapters and I hated what I had down. It wasn't what I had wanted. I had originally intended for something a bit darker than what I had, and** _ **The Shadow Rider**_ **as it was just wasn't cutting it.**

 **I meant for Hiccup to be a lethal assassin and highly skilled combatant. So I took a strong look at the story and decided to start over. From the beginning.**

 **Fear not, I have a plan! The first chapter of the first part of this story,** _ **The Last Amakage: Land of the Rising Sun**_ **has been uploaded and you should be able to find it on my profile page should you wish to read it.**

 **I warn you, the first part of this will be relatively light, but it draws a great deal from things like** _ **Batman Begins**_ **,** _ **Arrow**_ **, and I suppose** _ **Assassin's Creed**_ **, though that is unintentional. Dragons won't be a super-huge theme throughout, but Toothless and others will be present and we'll used in the story. It wouldn't be** _ **How to Train Your Dragon**_ **without second half of the story,** _ **The Last Amakage: Act II**_ (I didn't put the name because spoilers) **, however, will be much darker once I get around to writing it.**

 **I hope to hear from you all again soon! I hope you like the new version!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **IronManSaidPinata (and yes, the finger guns have returned) d(OuO)b**

 **P.S. I want to sincerely apologize to those of you who just started following this recently. Like last night recently. Someone reviewed last night and requested something for the story and IM SO SORRY! (** Don't worry though, because in the next story I will deal with your request ;) )


End file.
